Nova Scotia-based ABCO Industries has completed sea trials for the Royal Canadian Navy’s 12-meter landing craft in the summer of 2019 and delivered the first vessel in October 2019.
They will supply these support boats for each of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) currently under construction at Halifax Shipyard.
The landing craft will be used to transfer personnel and equipment to shore where there are little or no port services available. It can carry 4 tonnes of cargo, vehicles, or personnel and transfer them to a beach or pier via a bow door or an installed crane.
The sea trials involved operating all of the equipment installed on the landing craft, recovering a side-by-side ATV from a beach, and running the boat at various speeds and loading conditions – all to ensure that it meets the requirements set forth by Lloyd’s Register and the Canadian government.