Mersey Pride - new work boat for Halfax

A new to Halifax workboat arrived today in tow from Liverpool, NS. Mersey Pride arrived in tow of Dominion Victory, which was dispatched yesterday to fetch the craft.

Built in 1987 to their own account by Georgetown Shipyard Inc, the boat was originally named G.S.I. No.1. Aluminum hulled, the single screw vessel has a 250 bhp engine and a fire pump.
In 1992 the Bowater Mersey Paper Co acquired the boat, renamed it Mersey Pride and put it to work at their paper mill in Brooklyn, NS across the harbor from Liverpool. It was used to assist ship docking and other chores around the mill and paper export wharf.

In 2012 Resolute Forest Products (the successors to Abitibi-Bowater) and the Washington Post newspaper, owners of the mill, closed the facility and the Province of Nova Scotia acquired the assets, including mill, deep water marine terminal and forest lands and began the process of dismantling the mill.

The workboat/tug, which was never busy at the best of times, was thus idled. I assume ownership of the boat also passed to the Province, although Transport Canada's website shows to change. If the province did acquire the boat, they have now apparently sold it - possibly to Dominion Diving.

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