The Canadian government is looking for a supercomputer to help it simulate the destructive force of tidal waves that might one day hit Canada's western Coast, it is reported Thursday.

A tender for the computer, estimated to cost 170,000 Canadian dollars (about 130,000 US dollars), was issued Wednesday. The tender will close March 23.

Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans says the supercomputer can help researchers and community builders, especially those on Vancouver Island in the western province of British Columbia, plan for the next big one.

Vancouver Island, with its open coast line and multitude of inlets and harbors, is the most tsunami-vulnerable area in Canada, say researchers.

An earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, generated a massive tsunami that hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and other neighboring countries, killing about 300,000 people.

Records indicate the western coast of Canada previously experienced an earthquake and tsunami of the same magnitude. Aboriginals on Vancouver Island have passed down the 300-year-old story of an earthquake followed by a gigantic wave that swept away entire villages and thousands of people.