HMCS Preserver in New York Harbor in 2009.

Marine Recycling Corp. of Port Colborne, Ontario, was awarded a C$12.6 million ($9.97 million) contract to dismantle two Canadian naval vessels, Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Preserver and Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel (CFAV) Quest. The dismantlings are expected to be completed by summer 2019.

The contract includes towing to the contractor's facility located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the demilitarization of equipment, the remediation of hazardous waste and recycling of any remaining materials.

HMCS Preserver, an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel, concluded its service to the Royal Canadian Navy in 2016, after 46 years of duty.

Under full load, the 172-meter-long Preserver displaced 24,550 t (24,162 long tons) full load. Its propulsion included two Babcock & Wilcox boilers and a single General Electric steam turbine engine. It could attain a speed of 20 knots and carried 290 officers and crew. Its armament included two 20 mm Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapons System), six M2HB .50 cal (12.7 mm) HMGs (Heavy Machine Guns) and three CH-124 Sea King helicopters.

CFAV Quest was a Royal Canadian Navy Oceanographic/Acoustic Research ship built in Vancouver in 1969. It was decommissioned in 2016.

The 71.6-meter-long vessel displaced 2,130 long tons and could attain a top speed of 15 knots. It had a range of 10,000 nmi at 12 knots, and was powered by two 10-cylinder Fairbanks-Morse 38D8 diesels driving two GE electric motors. It could carry up to 55 officers and crew.

Halifax-class frigates, along with Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels and Victoria-class submarines, will allow the Royal Canadian Navy to continue to deliver on its core mission until new ships arrive.