VICTORIA -- Two new Canadian Coast Guard vessels will soon arrive in Victoria to bolster the region's response efficiency.
The two vessels, the CCGS Cadboro Bay and CCGS Florencia Bay, are high-endurance search and rescue lifeboats. After arriving in Victoria, one vessel will go to a Coast Guard station in Tahsis, while the other will go to a station in Hartley Bay along B.C.'s coast.
The lifeboats are among 20 that are being constructed and deployed across the country. So far, just eight, including the two on their way to Vancouver Island, have been built as of Friday.
The lifeboats are being transported to Victoria from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The vessels, which departed from Canada' east coast on Feb. 18, are expected to arrive in mid-March.
"The CCGS Cadboro Bay and CCGS Florencia Bay will provide key SAR services including performing searches on the water, responding to marine distress response calls, as well as providing assistance to disabled vessels," said Fisheries and Oceans Canada in a statement Friday.
"The vessels are also equipped to conduct environmental response operations to reduce the impacts of marine pollution in Canadian waters."
Meanwhile, construction of a Canadian Coast Guard facility continues in Port Hardy. The $8.8 million facility is expected to open in late 2021.
An oil spill response base is also under construction in the Sooke area, which is slated to open in 2022.
