DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN
The Department of National Defence expects the delivery of the first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship by the end of March although it acknowledges there is a possibility that may not happen.
The Royal Canadian Navy and the Department of National Defence had expected the first of the Harry DeWolf-class ships to be delivered in the summer.
That shifted to the end of this year but that schedule won't be met.
“The delivery date for the first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship is now anticipated to occur by the end of March 2020, acknowledging that there remains some uncertainty,” the department noted in a statement.
The schedule for the first ship has been slipping due to what the department calls “production challenges typically seen with a first-of-class build.”
Irving spokesman Sean Lewis noted that a final sea trial for the ship is expected in late January.
After that, any remaining production work will be completed, along with rectification of any deficiencies noted during the inspection, test and trials program, the DND added in its statement. “Following reviews and final inspections by National Defence, the shipbuilder will present the ship for delivery,” it added. “After the ship is delivered, National Defence will complete certain activities to complete ship functionalities, mainly on communications systems.”
The Royal Canadian Navy will then assume operational control of the ship, expected in the summer of 2020.
The Royal Canadian Navy is acquiring six ships. In January 2015 the federal government announced it had awarded Irving a $2.6 billion contract to build five ships. In 2018 that deal was expanded to add a sixth vessel.
Additionally, two AOPS will be built for the Canadian Coast Guard immediately following those for the Royal Canadian Navy.
The ships were originally announced in July 2007 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who acknowledged the vessels were much different than his election promise of armed heavy icebreakers. Harper claimed at the time the AOPS were “medium” icebreakers and more versatile but critics pointed out the vessels were not icebreakers at all, but rather “ice-strengthened” ships that would be limited as to when and where they would be able to operate.
The first ship was to be delivered in 2013, with Arctic operations set for 2015, but ongoing problems with the government's national shipbuilding program and delays in awarding the contract continued to push schedules back.
The DND noted it does not believe the latest delay will affect the schedule for the other ships. The last AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy is expected to be delivered in 2024.
“We are confident that these ships will help the RCN meet and overcome the defence and security challenges of the coming decades,” the DND noted.
In 2017 the Senate Defence Committee raised concerns about the vessels' capabilities. “This (concern) is based on the fact that these ships cannot operate in ice more than a metre thick, are slower than a BC Ferry, can only operate in the arctic from June to October and will require a coast guard escort when in the northern waters,” the senators pointed out in their report. These capabilities should be independently reviewed to meet Canada's sovereignty needs, they added.
The Senate also noted that the ships “will lack significant force projection in the form of weapons system.”
“These limitations are troubling and raise the question of whether the taxpayers are receiving value for the monies spent,” the Senate report said.
Here is the delivery schedule for AOPS, although DND says these timings could slip:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/more-delays-for-arctic-ships-dnd-expects-first-aops-by-end-of-march
