Island crab boat transformed to Arctic research vessel

A P.E.I. fishermen is putting his deep-sea crab boat to a new use scientific research in Canada's High Arctic.

Arctic Research Foundation just finished a $2 million renovation to the boat White Diamond in the Summerside harbour.

The Manitoba-based not-for-profit organization bought the boat from fisherman David McIsaac. McIsaac and his son Daniel have been working with the foundation in recent years.

"Fishing, you're basically doing the same job day after day after day. As research, you're working with a new crew and a new group and it gets exciting," McIsaac said.

"Everywhere we go, too, it's uncharted waters so you never really know what's going to be in front of you. So you're constantly watching your sounder."

Flagship ship

White Diamondis one of three research vessels now owned and operatedby Arctic Research Foundation.

"This vessel will be ournew flagship," said Adrian Schimnowski, CEO and operations manager. "It has many capabilities.ARF is known for innovation in the Arctic so we will find ways to outfit this vessel for new ways of doing science in the Arctic."

With stainless steel decks and thickhull, White Diamond is well built for work in the Arctic, McIsaac said.

"The boat will be here forever, pretty well," he said. "It's a stainless boat with Kevlar hull so we'll all be long gone and it will still be floating around somewhere."

A big project

Renovations included enclosingpart of the deckto create indoor science labs, and turning the fish hold into extra bunk space for visiting scientists.

Up top, a large crane has been installedto hoist scientific equipment on and off the ship.To protect delicate Arctic ecosystems, the ship's hydraulic fluids and sanitation system have been upgraded, too.

"There's all kinds of 45-foot fleet here on P.E.I., so everybody's worked on smaller boats but nobody has done any amount of work on a large boat before," McIsaac said. "Overall there was probably30 tradesmen involved working on the boat over the summer."

White Diamond will head north next spring on its 35-day journey to Hudson Bay. Its work mayinclude oil spill research,oceanography and studies of marine mammals.

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