NATO chief tours Arctic defences as Canada comes under pressure to guard the Far North | CBC News

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  22 juillet 2019 | Local, Naval

  Victoria Shipyards signs contract to maintain Canada's West Coast-based Halifax-class Frigates

  VICTORIA, July 16, 2019 /CNW/ - Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards has signed a contract to perform Docking Maintenance work on the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) fleet of Halifax-class frigates. This work has been executed by Victoria Shipyards for the last decade under the Frigate Life Extension (FELEX) modernization program. The maintenance support for Canada's frigates will see Seaspan provide docking work periods for Canada's five Halifax-class frigates stationed on the West Coast. The Government of Canada also announced similar work would be conducted by two other Canadian shipyards for Canada's seven East Coast-based Halifax-class frigates. The initial phase of the contract awarded for Seaspan's work is valued at $500 million and, with contractual extensions, will provide long-term stability for Seaspan's workforce over the next several decades. Work will be conducted at Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards which operates out of the federally-owned Esquimalt Graving Dock. Today's announcement builds on the company's exemplary record as a partner to the Government of Canada on past Halifax-class modernization efforts. With a well-earned reputation for on-time, high quality delivery of large modernization and conversion projects, Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards is a trusted partner to the Government of Canada and a range of commercial customers. This includes engagement as a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin Canada to perform upgrades to New Zealand's ANZAC-class frigates, the first time that a foreign warship will undergo a modernization in Canada since the Second World War. As a subcontractor to Babcock Canada the shipyard provides ongoing in-service support for Canada's fleet of Victoria-class submarines. The company also continues to make its mark in the commercial sector as one of the few North American shipyards executing work on international cruise vessels and performing the first major vessel LNG duel fuel conversion on two ships. QUOTES "This vital, long-term work demonstrates the government's continued commitment to supporting the women and men of the Royal Canadian Navy by providing them with the equipment they need to protect Canadian interests at home and abroad. Together with our shipbuilding partners, we are fulfilling federal fleet requirements, advancing Canadian technological innovation and creating jobs across this great country." The Honourable Carla Qualtrough Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility "Seaspan's Victoria Shipyards has developed a reputation for exceptional reliability in its work as a service provider for both government and commercial clients on complex projects. The award of this contract is the latest vote of confidence from the Government of Canada in Seaspan's role as its long-term west coast partner for shipbuilding and ship repair. This contract will allow our team to build on past experience as we continue to perform vital maintenance work on Canada's fleet of frigates." Mark Lamarre Chief Executive Officer, Seaspan Shipyards "Victoria Shipyards executed the first docking packages on the Halifax Class as they were built and stationed in Victoria, and we are proud and humbled to be awarded a contract that will allow us the opportunity to work these vessels to their end of life. The production-driven team approach we and our DND and FMF partners are committed to will allow Canada's fleet to continue sailing proudly and safely at sea. This contract will continue to generate high wage employment to the men and women working in our trades who remain a core focus of our business. Well done to our Victoria Shipyard team!" Joe O'Rourke Vice President & General Manager, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards QUICK FACTS Maintenance on Canada's Halifax-class frigates is expected to support employment for hundreds of Canadian workers The frigates require a wide range of engineering change work, equipment installations, docking work and corrective maintenance activities to ensure they remain operationally available and relevant through to their end of life With its past work on the Frigate Life Extension Program (FELEX) for Canada's Halifax-class frigates, Victoria Shipyards generated more than 4.5M labour hours To date, Victoria Shipyards has provided docking work periods (DWP): 19 DWP for frigates 3 DWP for destroyers 3 DWP for Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/victoria-shipyards-signs-contract-to-maintain-canada-s-west-coast-based-halifax-class-frigates-805037403.html

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  13 février 2023 | Local, Aérospatial

  Canadian jets still waiting for advanced missiles U.S. used to destroy flying objects

  OTTAWA — Canadian fighter jets still have not been armed with the type of missiles used by the American military to bring down four airborne objects in recent weeks, more than two years after such missiles were ordered. The U.S.

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  6 février 2019 | Local, Naval

  Ottawa pushes navy's planned supply ships to the front of the construction queue

  Murray Brewster · CBC News The Liberal government has decided to pull out all the stops on the construction of the navy's planned permanent supply ships — a move that's raised questions about how quickly the Canadian Coast Guard will get a critical oceanographic science vessel. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) issued a statement Tuesday that announced the re-sequencing of the construction schedules for vessels being built at the Vancouver Shipyard, which is owned by Seaspan. The company has already started preliminary construction work on the first of the navy's long-awaited Joint Support Ships and the federal government says the work will continue until the vessel is completed. Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Seaspan was suppose to first construct three small fisheries research ships and a larger oceanographic vessel before working on the navy's long-awaited supply ships. Adhering to that plan in the face of repeated organizational delays meant delivery of those supply ships — which are considered critical to allowing the navy to operate beyond Canadian shores — would not happen until 2023 at the earliest. The PSPC statement said that once the first supply ship is finished, Seaspan will turn its attention to the coast guard oceanographic ship and then build the last planned naval supply ship. "Given the complexity of this build, this change in sequencing will ensure focused engineering resources on each of the projects, while allowing for time between construction of the first and second [Joint Support Ship] to incorporate lessons learned," said PSPC spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold in a statement. "Moreover, this allows for uninterrupted work at the shipyard, mitigating the risk of potential layoffs and production gaps between builds." Bujold said additional details on the construction schedule will be released at a later date. The change to the schedule was, according to sources in the defence industry, agreed upon at the recent Trudeau government cabinet retreat in Sherbrooke, Que. Rob Huebert, a defence expert at the University of Calgary, said the decision "leaves most people scratching their heads" because of the difficulty involved in getting a shipyard to switch up construction between different types of vessels. "Why you would interrupt the building of ships by putting another style and class of vessel in the middle completely boggles my mind," said Huebert, a noted expert on the Arctic. "I don't know why you would do it." If anything, he said, the federal government should simply build both naval ships and then move on the coast guard ship. The re-sequencing means the navy could be waiting until the late 2020s for its second supply vessel, which would make the program a multi-decade odyssey. The Liberal government of former prime minister Paul Martin originally ordered the replacement of the auxiliary ships in 2004, but the program was cancelled in 2008 by the Conservatives when cost estimates exceeded the budget envelope. Huebert said Tuesday's announcement also raises questions about when Canadians will see the heavy icebreaker that Seaspan is also slated to build. The PSPC website says the program is under review and "no activities are planned until work on other projects has advanced." The federal government apparently has not yet formally notified Seaspan of the schedule change, although the shipyard has awarded a series of sub-contracts to companies such as INDAL in Mississauga, Ont., and L3 MAPPS in Montreal, for supply ship components. Seaspan is expected to announce another contract on Wednesday with Lockheed Martin Canada related to the supply ships. Ever since the Conservatives cancelled the first iteration of the supply ship project, the federal government has struggled to get it back on track, setting and missing several deadlines. The supply ships were supposed to arrive in 2017. The date was pushed back to 2019, and then to 2022. The absence of a supply ship prompted the Davie shipyard, in Levis, Que., to pitch a converted civilian cargo ship for navy use. That $668 million lease deal is at the centre of the breach-of-trust case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. Davie is pitching the federal government on leasing another cargo ship. A spokesman for Davie, Frederik Boisvert, called Tuesday's decision "an insult to taxpayers" and claimed that Seaspan has failed to deliver on the supply ship project and "should be blacklisted by the government and not rewarded for failure." The effect of switching up the schedule means the navy might not need a second supply ship leasing deal. Sources within the coast guard and the defence industry have said that the design and project coordination for the fisheries science vessel is not as far advanced as the navy supply ship program and that is an important factor in the federal government's timing decision. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-pushes-navy-s-planned-supply-ships-to-the-front-of-the-construction-queue-1.5006785