Closing Commentary

With the impact of fatalities as a result of the L’ACADIEN II incident, many organizations would be tempted to rein in their operations measurably and permanently. This is not the lesson to be gleaned here. The Coast Guard remains a capable and necessary organization devoted to service and safety on the Nation’s sea approaches, harbours and waterways. This incident should stimulate a forthright review of policies, training and equipment for towing and for ice operations, as described in the recommendations above.

The latter domain, that of operating in ice, represents a particularly unique area of risk management from which Federal maritime agencies cannot afford to recoil. The volatility of climate activity has made predictability of ice conditions and weather patterns a science trending towards increasingly surprising scenarios. The growing focus on Arctic resources, with or without an ice-clear Northwest Passage, describes a National imperative to improve presence, capabilities and skills. This tragedy is a signal opportunity, the potential source of motivation for achieving that National imperative. Striving for that goal is the means by which we might pay homage to those lost aboard L’ACADIEN II.

Signed  December 1st, 2008

Roger Girouard, Rear Admiral (Ret’d)

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