Canadian Navy Puts Out Tenders for Floating Barrier

The Canadian navy is moving ahead with plans to build a floating fence around its dockyards in Halifax, according to a CBC News report. Currently, there is no physical barrier stopping any boat from targeting the navy's 22 major warships in Halifax and Esquimalt on the West Coast. The navy hopes a two-meter-high barrier will prevent attacks like the one in Yemen in 2000, when a small boat loaded with explosives rammed into the American warship USS Cole. Seventeen sailors were killed and 39 injured. The navy has put out tenders for the $3.5-million fence, which will stretch 1.5 kilometers in Halifax Harbor and rest about 100 meters from the vessels. The navy has yet to select the design of the floating fence. But work could start as early as March. (Source: CBC News)