Canadian navy drowning in sky-high fuel prices

MONTREAL — Ballooning fuel prices and recruitment problems kept Canadian navy vessels docked for much of last year, Sun Media has learned.

The 34 vessels deployed on Canada’s east and west coasts, on average, spent 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 navy 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.

More than $51 million was spent on fuel for the vessels last year, up from $34.1 million the year before. With oil prices now close to $130 a barrel, things are unlikely to improve in 2008.

Edmonton Sun