Green shipping research platform
The “Tsekoa II”
The former Canadian Coast Guard vessel, previously known as “Tsekoa II”, is being refurbished and will be used for coastal oceanography and hydrographic research, and to service the Victoria Experimental Network under the Sea (VENUS) coastal network in Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The vessel will also serve as a platform for green shipping research and development activities.
The ship was originally designed by Robert Allan Ltd and built in 1984 by Allied Shipbuilders in Vancouver.
The refit, expected to be completed in 2012, will transform the vessel into the world’s first plugin hybrid ‘green ship’, powered by electricity, hydrogen fuel cells and low-emission diesel fuel, according to Imtech Marine. The federal government, through Western Economic Diversification Canada, provided the funding necessary to purchase and install the power and propulsion systems.
