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For Immediate Release
January 12, 2004
|
No.
CARC01/04 |
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Canadian
Artificial Reef Consulting, headquartered
in North Vancouver, British Columbia,
has been formed to market local expertise
in the innovative reuse of vessels as
artificial reefs.
"For years British Columbia has been a world
leader in artificial reef creation and it is time to apply that
experience in other jurisdictions," said Jay
Straith, who will lead Canadian Artificial Reef Consulting as
president. "We have assembled a team
of experts in procurement, recycling, safety, placement and
permitting and are in the final stages of negotiating our opening
contracts."
The concept of reusing
retired naval vessels is familiar in the
coastal waters of British Columbia. Principals
of the Canadian Artificial Reef Consulting
have placed five vessels, including four
decommissioned Canadian Naval vessels,
in the Straight of Georgia between the
British Columbia mainland and Vancouver
Island and one vessel in the Sechelt Inlet
north-west of Vancouver. Beyond British
Columbia, company principals have advised
and managed a dozen artificial reef projects
from California to Australia and from
Quebec to New Zealand.
"We have formalised
our association because we believe there
is tremendous opportunity to take our
Canadian expertise to the world,"
added Straith. "In the United States,
alone, there are more than 400 decommissioned
navy vessels awaiting disposal and we
have the knowledge and experience to move
those ships."
Reefing
a ship, the process of recycling an
existing vessel and then placing it in
coastal waters is an exacting process.
Canada first developed standards for the
cleaning and placement of such vessels
15 years ago in response to grassroots
scuba divers in British Columbia. Those
standards have since been adopted in Australia,
New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the
United States.
"There are relatively
few options for governments seeking to
dispose of surplus vessels and we are
acutely aware of damage less responsible
means of disposal can inflict on the environment,"
concluded Straith. "Our process is
safe, cost-effective and beneficial to
coastal communities and the marine environment."
Information about Canadian
Artificial Reef Consulting and its principals
is available on line at www.artificialreefs.net.
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