Volvo Penta delivers engines to Canadian Coast Guard

By IBI Magazine

Volvo Penta is to supply D12 engines to the Canadian coast guard. The Coast Guard is replacing its patrol boats for fisheries inspection to a new and faster model. The Geliget patrol boat, recently placed in service, is the second in a series of five boats. It is a 14.6-meter aluminium boat equipped with twin Volvo Penta D12 engines each producing 650 hp and connected to UltraJet water-jet drive units.

The Canadian Coast Guard, which has been operating the TAMD 122 EDC predecessor in a patrol boat, has now selected the D12 for the rest of the boats in its new series of patrol boats.

"The new boats will be used first and foremost for controlling the important lobster fishing along Canada's East Coast, but will also be used for search and rescue and general law enforcement," says Fred Lachlan, Volvo Penta Canada. "The Geliget is the second boat placed in service, the third is under construction and there is an option for two more."

The new boats are built by ABCO Marine Group in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, on the Canadian East Coast. The shipyard specialises in aluminium boats.

The order for engines to the Canadian Coast Guard is strategically important for Volvo Penta. Firstly, because the Coast Guard itself is a major customer with a large fleet of boats, but also because the Coast Guard is known for its high demands.

"We know that even the owners of fishing boats look to see what the Coast Guard selects for engines and we hope, of course, that this will increase our sales to them. We also hope that this will be a reference order to the US Coast Guard, which has similar operations on the other side of the border," says Fred Lachlan.

(9 May 2003)