The Canso Canal, which connects Chedabucto Bay and the Northumberland Strait, was opened to shipping traffic in 1955. The passage of vessels through Canso Canal is controlled by two pairs of sector gates, located at the northern and the southern entrance of the canal. While passing through the canal, each vessel is required to come to a complete stop at a predetermined location upstream from the sector gates. The gates are then opened to allow the vessel to exit the canal.

The gates of the Canso Canal are protected from accidental vessel impact by a ship arrestor that spans across the canal. This arrestor comprises a set of steel wire ropes suspended from a structural steel boom. If a vessel is unable to stop at the designated stopping point, the steel ropes would stretch across its bow and prevent it from striking the gates. Since the construction of the canal, there has been only one instance of a vessel overshooting and colliding with the arrestor. Due to lack of use and aggressive climatic conditions, the cables were frozen in place and the sheaves routing the cables had corroded and were no longer functional. 

SHM Canada was commissioned to design the complete rehabilitation of the ship arrestors, including remediation of concrete deterioration and replacement of cables, sheaves, and corroded booms.