Arctic patrol ship contract to set sail next summer: documents

The new ships will be based in Halifax and Esquimalt, B.C.

By SPECIAL TO NUNATSIAQ NEWS

The winners of two federal shipbuilding contracts worth a combined $33 billion are expected to be announced Wednesday. (PHOTO BY NICK PROCAYLO-PNG/POSTMEDIA NEWS)


The winners of two federal shipbuilding contracts worth a combined $33 billion are expected to be announced Wednesday. (PHOTO BY NICK PROCAYLO-PNG/POSTMEDIA NEWS)

DAVID PUGLIESE
Postmedia News

The Canadian Forces expects to have a contract in place for a new fleet of Arctic patrol ships by next summer, the first major purchase under the government’s soon-to-be-announced national shipbuilding strategy, according to documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

Navy officers have much of the background work on the ships already completed, with a firm in Kanata, Ont., near Ottawa, working on the engineering aspects of the vessels and a European company on the design.

The contract would come in the summer of 2012, according to the navy briefing presented to defence analysts earlier this month.

The main hurdle in the plan is the announcement of the winning shipyards as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, or NSPS. The NSPS would see one shipyard selected to build major combat vessels while another would build non-combat vessels, such as icebreakers and Coast Guard patrol vessels. The three bidders in the NSPS are Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax, Seaspan in Vancouver and Davie Yards in Quebec City.

Under the shipbuilding procurement strategy, the two winning yards will be eligible to bid on an estimated $35 billion worth of contracts over the next several decades.

The NSPS announcement is expected some time this week, with some reports indicating the decision could come as early as Wednesday. After that, government representatives can begin negotiations with the winning shipyard for the construction of the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship, or AOPS. A contract for the ships originally was supposed to be awarded in May 2009, with delivery of the first ship set for 2013.

The Royal Canadian Navy wants to acquire six to eight ships to conduct surveillance along Canada’s coasts, including in the Arctic. But under the new plan, the first AOPS would be ready to deploy to the Arctic for a four-month operation “circa 2015,” according to the briefing given to defence analysts. By 2030, the navy envisions the vessels deploying for up to six months in the north. “Duration of ops and locale will depend on extent and type of ice,” the briefing added.

The new ships will be based in Halifax and Esquimalt, B.C. New infrastructure will be built at those two locations to handle the ships and the project will also see the establishment of a docking and refuelling facility in Nanisivik, Nunavut.

Operating in the Arctic will pose major challenges, the briefing points out, because of distances, weather and ice. It noted that the distance from Halifax to Nanisivik is 2,805 nautical miles, 64 nautical miles more than a trip from Halifax to London, England.

“Distances between potential patrol areas are long and passages difficult to navigate,” the briefing added.

The Canadian Forces has looked at a number of designs for the new ships. Models of the hull have been tested for ice capability.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper originally announced the government’s plan to purchase the AOPS in the spring of 2007. He acknowledged at the time it was different than the Conservatives’ original election promise to build armed icebreakers. But he noted the AOPS will be able to handle sovereignty operations in the North.

“Canada has a choice when it comes to defending our sovereignty over the Arctic,” Harper said. “We either use it or lose it. And make no mistake, this government intends to use it.”

The Arctic patrol ships will cost $3.1 billion, according to government officials. Another $4.3 billion will be spent for operations and maintenance over their 25-year lifespan, government representatives said.

In 2008, an engineering support contract for AOPS was awarded to BMT Fleet Technology in Kanata. It was supported by a European firm on ship design and the British defence giant, BAE, for communication system development.

After AOPS, the navy plans to move forward in acquiring a new fleet of supply ships. Those ships also will be covered under the NSPS, along with replacement vessels for the country’s frigates and destroyers as well as icebreakers.

Government officials say the NSPS will promote a long-term continuous build of ships to ensure that shipyards have a regular cash-flow. According to Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, that will “bring predictability to federal ship procurement and eliminate cycles of boom and bust.”

The construction of smaller federal government ships will be set aside for competitive bidding among other Canadian shipyards. The repair, refit and maintenance of ships in the future federal fleet also will continue to be sourced through competitive bidding.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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