Her Majesty’s Canadian (HMC) Ships Glace Bay and Kingston departed Halifax today to conduct a seven-week period of coastal operations and training exercises until the end of July. As part of their deployment, these two Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels, and the Naval Reservists who crew them, will visit various ports of call along the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes, providing Canadians with opportunities to tour the warships and interact with their crews.

In between port visits, HMC Ships Glace Bay and Kingston will conduct various coastal operations and training exercises to maintain operational readiness to deploy on joint operations at home and abroad. This tour will also provide opportunities to inform and educate Canadians about how the Naval Reserve contributes to the protection and security of our maritime waters and approaches by working with our allies and other government partners in maritime security.

HMC Ships Glace Bay and Kingston will sail from Halifax through the St. Lawrence Seaway starting today and returning to Halifax at the end of July. During the tour, Glace Bay and Kingston will visit the following ports of call:

– Sydney, Nova Scotia, June 14-17;
– Chicoutimi, Quebec, June 20-23;
– Toronto, Ontario, June 28 – July 2;
– Oshawa, Ontario, July 5-8;
– Port Colborne, Ontario, July 12-14; and
– Kingston, Ontario, July 12-15.

HMC Ships Glace Bay and Kingston have participated in a number of exercises and operations including their most recent participation in the campaign against illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean as part of Operation Caribbe in 2012.

The RCN today marked the conclusion of its first naval deployment of 2013, Operation Caribbe. Operation Caribbe is part of the Government’s continued commitment to combat illicit trafficking in the Caribbean Basin and Eastern Pacific. As part of this commitment, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and Summerside conducted a 36-day deployment while a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft flew patrols from January 7th to 19th to help suppress trafficking in international waters.

 This is the second time HMCS Kingston has deployed on Operation Caribbe. HMCS Kingston , along with HMCS Goose Bay, conducted surveillance operations in the Western Caribbean from March 2 to April 6, 2012. This deployment marks a number of achievements for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels including the embarkation of a United States Coast Guard law enforcement detachment team and the use of the side scan sonar to search for sunken objects associated with counter narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean Basin. Primarily crewed by Naval Reservists, Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels are mainly used for coastal surveillance and patrol.

This recurring annual operation directly supports the Canadian Armed Forces mission to defend against threats and security challenges to Canada and North America and its approaches. Moreover, Operation Caribbe helps strengthen international and continental partnerships and demonstrates Canada’s specific commitment to improve security in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean and to combat transnational organized crime. It also creates opportunities to partner with other nations to suppress criminal activity at sea and keep illegal drugs off Canadian streets.