Taxpayers face $300 billion price tag for new navy warships, warns Parliamentary Budget Officer

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  16 juillet 2019 | Local, Naval

  Canada’s Esquimalt navy base to receive four steel barges

  The Canadian Government's Public Services and Procurement department has awarded a contract to Canadian Maritime Engineering to deliver four steel barges. The C$1.99m ($1.52m) contract was awarded on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces to provide equipment for use by the nation's navy. The four steel barges will be supplied to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in British Columbia within 18 months from the contract award date. Under the contract, Canadian Maritime Engineering will also provide a complete technical data package and related training. The contract also includes an option to purchase spare parts. Canada Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility Minister Carla Qualtrough said: “Our government is providing the women and men of the Royal Canadian Navy with the equipment they need to do their important work. “This contract award is a prime example of the National Shipbuilding Strategy in action, providing meaningful opportunities for businesses and Canadians across Canada, and throughout British Columbia.” The steel barges will measure 12m-15m in length and have working decks of 75m². Set to replace six existing wooden barges, the planned steel barges will support maintenance work on the Canadian Navy's vessels. Canada Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said: “Through our defence policy, ‘Strong, Secure, Engaged', we are providing the women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need to do the important work we ask of them. “Barges are an essential part of the navy's fleet, and this contract for four steel barges will facilitate maintenance on its vessels to ensure the operational readiness of its fleet.” Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), the government aims to renew the country's federal fleet of combat and non-combat vessels. The programme includes providing the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard with vessels. The government formed partnerships with Irving's Halifax Shipyard and Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards for the NSS. https://www.naval-technology.com/news/canadas-esquimalt-navy-base-to-receive-four-steel-barges/

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  6 juillet 2020 | Local, Naval

  DND denies misjudging supply ship cost even though price tag jumped to $4.1 billion

  DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Updated: July 2, 2020 The defence department denies it ever misjudged the cost of a project to buy new naval ships even though the price tag jumped from $2.3 billion to $4.1 billion in less than two years. And DND admits the cost to taxpayers for the vessels could rise even more in the coming years. The Liberal government acknowledged on June 15 that the cost of the project to buy two Joint Support Ships has increased to $4.1 billion. The vessels are needed by the Royal Canadian Navy as they would provide fuel, ammunition and other supplies to warships at sea. But the $4.1 billion price tag is just the latest in a series of steadily increasing cost figures. In June 2018, the government acknowledged the cost of the ship project had, at that time, jumped from $2.3 billion to $3.4 billion. But Seaspan, the Vancouver shipyard that is to build the vessels, provided a new set of numbers in October 2019 and by February 2020 government approval was received for a new budget of $4.1 billion, DND confirmed in an email to this newspaper. “As with any large-scale procurement project, all project values are best estimates that are based on the data and figures available at the time,” the email added. There has been no misjudging of costs on the JSS project, the department noted. In 2013, the Parliamentary Budget Officer questioned DND's JSS cost estimates and warned that the project would require $4.13 billion. DND stated in its email to this newspaper that taxpayers can be assured they are getting value for money on JSS and that those working on the shipbuilding project in both the department and Public Services and Procurement Canada are top notch. “The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, along with our counterparts at PSPC, have a first-rate cadre of experienced, professional procurement officers, subject matter experts and financial administrators who take great pride in their work and in their accomplishments,” DND said in an email. “Our team has – and will continue to – ensure that Canadians get value from their investments in the Armed Forces.” But DND also acknowledged costs could continue to rise. “While the total project budget includes contingency funding for these types of reasons, some events may happen unexpectedly and thus excel what the contingency funding allowed for,” the DND email noted. “As a result, it's possible that cost estimates may change for a variety of reasons that can't be controlled or predicted.” Conservative MP Kelly McCauley said DND's claim that project costs weren't misjudged is “BS.” “I don't even have faith in their latest cost of $4.1 billion,” added McCauley, who is behind the effort to get the Parliamentary Budget Officer to do a new report looking at JSS. “It's going to go up.” McCauley said the JSS design is based on the Berlin-class, an existing and proven German Navy ship. But he noted that DND and PSPC keep making changes to the ship, driving up costs and adding delays. DND noted that, “it's not uncommon for the cost estimate to change throughout the duration of a project, especially for a first-of-class ship.” DND also pointed out the construction contract with Seaspan may be changed throughout the duration of the project but added that does not necessarily mean the project budget will increase. The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates recently passed McCauley's motion to request the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer undertake a costing analysis of building the JSS in Canada as well as the leasing of Asterix, a commercial ship converted into a supply vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy to use. The PBO report will be presented to the committee by Oct. 15. The Asterix, converted by Davie shipyards in Quebec, was at the centre of the two-year legal battle Vice Adm. Mark Norman found himself in when the RCMP charged him with breach of trust. The police force alleged Norman had tipped off Davie that the Liberal government was planning to delay its Asterix deal. The legal case against Norman collapsed in 2019, forcing the federal government to pay the naval officer an undisclosed financial settlement as well as prompting questions about whether the charge had been politically motivated. The Asterix turned out to be a procurement success and since 2018 has been used to refuel and resupply Royal Canadian Navy and allied warships. The Liberal government tried to derail the Asterix project shortly after being elected in the fall of 2015. The move came after cabinet ministers, including Scott Brison and defence minister Harjit Sajjan, received a letter from the Irving family with a complaint that the Irving proposal for a similar supply ship was not examined properly. Irving has denied any suggestion it was involved in political meddling. But after receiving the letter from the Irvings, the Liberals decided to put Asterix on hold. The government, however, had to back off that plan after news of its decision leaked out to the news media. Shortly after, the RCMP began investigating Norman. https://o.canada.com/news/national/defence-watch/dnd-denies-misjudging-supply-ship-cost-even-though-price-tag-jumped-to-4-1-billion/wcm/6743dc85-efb0-457c-90b9-be1b2d204868

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  11 février 2021 | Local, Aérospatial

  NOUVEAU PARTENARIAT AVEC REACTION DYNAMICS

  COMMUNIQUÉ REACTION DYNAMICS ET AMRIKART ULTRAPRECISION, INTÉGRATEUR DE SOLUTIONS MÉTROLOGIQUES DIMENSIONNELLES AVANCÉES, ANNONCENT LEUR PARTENARIAT DANS LE CADRE DU SOUTIEN AU DÉVELOPPEMENT DE LA NOUVELLE GÉNÉRATION DE LANCEUR ORBITAL À FAIBLE COÛT. 9 février 2021 | par: Badr Boushel Montréal, Qc, Canada | 9 février 2021 – Amrikart Ultraprecision, chef de file nord-américain en intégration des solutions métrologique de haute précision, est fière d'annoncer son partenariat avec Reaction Dynamics (RDX), une entreprise spatiale canadienne dont la mission est de développer la première fusée orbitale au Canada. Le partenariat consiste dans un soutien continu aux opérations d'ingénierie et de production de Reaction Dynamics. Avec plus de 30 ans d'expérience dans l'industrie de la fabrication spatiale et aéronautique, Amrikart Ultraprecision assistera Reaction Dynamics en fournissant des services de mesure et d'analyse de données dimensionnelles, de même que les solutions métrologiques nécessaires au développement des technologies de propulsion et des fusées orbitales de RDX. « Des solutions métrologiques avancées ont été identifiées comme un outil clé dans le développement de la nouvelle génération de lanceur orbital à faible coût de Reaction Dynamics. Amrikart Ultraprecision a démontré qu'elle est un partenaire de choix dans ce secteur. Son expertise nous aide à suivre et à prévoir les problèmes dimensionnels, ce qui se traduit par des opérations plus efficaces dans l'ensemble.” Said Bachar Elzein – CEO et Directeur Technique de Reaction Dynamics Lab Inc. « C'est un privilège de s'associer à Reaction Dynamics et de contribuer avec notre expertise en métrologie de haute précision au développement du premier lanceur orbital canadien. Ce partenariat permettra à Amrikart de démontrer à nouveau sa capacité à fournir des solutions innovantes à des défis complexes. Notre équipe est passionnée par les technologies aérospatiales et elle prend un profond plaisir à travailler avec les ingénieurs de RDX», a déclaré Nathalie Tremblay, vice-présidente et cofondatrice d'Amrikart Ultraprecision. À propos de Reaction Dynamics Fondée en 2016, Reaction Dynamics (RDX) développe des fusées pour fournir un accès de routine à l'orbite terrestre. L'entreprise est intégrée verticalement, et ses domaines d'intérêt actuels comprennent la propulsion des fusées, les structures et l'avionique. L'équipe applique une approche rapide, agile et axée sur le hardware dans le lancement spatial, permettant à l'industrie de se prévaloir d'un accès plus rapide, moins coûteux et plus fiable à l'espace. Sa technologie de propulsion hybride unique en son genre, en instance de brevet, permet des services de lancement abordables avec de courts délais d'exécution. Son approche novatrice résout le problème persistant avec les moteurs hybrides : des performances limitées sur de longues durées de combustion. Son moteur de fusée en instance de brevet est doté d'un faible nombre de pièces pour assurer la fiabilité et une production rapide, ainsi que des propulseurs sans danger pour l'environnement afin de minimiser les demandes de nettoyage et de permettre un entreposage sécuritaire. Gr'ce à cette technologie, RDX vise à fournir des services de lancement dédiés et abordables, ouvrant de nouvelles possibilités d'utilisation de l'espace aux opérateurs de petits satellites. Pour plus d'informations sur Reaction Dynamics, veuillez visiter: www.reactiondynamics.space À propos d'Amrikart Ultraprecision Amrikart Ultraprecision, fondée en 1988, fait partie du groupe Amrikart, propriétaire exclusif de la technologie iGPS System, et partenaire d'Hexagon Metrology. Amrikart Ultraprecision se spécialise dans une branche croissante de la métrologie, celle de la mesure dimensionnelle et du positionnement de haute précision. Amrikart offre des services complets de mesure et d'alignement 3D ainsi que des solutions automatisées clés-en-main permettant d'augmenter la performance dans la fabrication et l'assemblage de produits de petit à grand volume dans les domaines de l'aviation, du spatial, de la défense, de la marine, du transport et de l'énergie. Amrikart se démarque sur le marché avec la conception et la mise en œuvre de solutions d'assemblage assisté par la métrologie en temps réel, déployées avec succès dans les chaînes d'assemblage final des avions commerciaux Airbus A220. L'entreprise fournit également le support, l'expertise en ingénierie, l'outillage spécialisé et les applications logicielles qui participent à ses solutions intégrées clés en main. Pour plus d'informations sur Amrikart Ultraprecision, veuillez visiter: www.amrikart.com Développent des affaires et relations publiques: Maxime Goulet-Bourdon | Directeur des Essais & du Développement des Affaires M: (438) 872-6087 E: mgb@reactiondynamics.space Badr Boushel (Brad) | Directeur des Ventes et du Développement des Affaires M: (438) 832-2634 E: b.boushel@amrikart.com https://www.amrikart.com/nouvelles-en-details/detail/2021-02-09/Nouveau-partenariat-avec-Reaction-Dynamics