Canada's Navy Docked: Can't Afford the Fuel

by Barry Artiste | June 9, 2008 at 04:28 am

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Well certainly this is a great way to keep Canada's Military at home. Of course as they say, "No one Sails for Free", perhaps things to come may see the Captain and the Crew pooling their spare change for a "Ship of Fuel"?

MONTREAL -- The high cost of fuel and recruitment difficulties kept Canada's navy vessels docked for much of last year, Sun Media has learned.

The 34 vessels deployed on Canada's East and West coasts averaged only 81 days at sea in 2007, according to documents obtained by Sun Media through the Access to Information Act.

Fuel costs for Canada's naval ships jumped 50% last year, the documents revealed, and are expected to rise another 25% this year.

"The rapidly rising price of oil will have dramatic consequences on the 2007-2008 operations budget," said David Statham, a former Canadian naval officer.

This increase will also impact on the operational capacity of the Canadian fleet, he said.