The Canadian government, as part of its National Shipbuilding
Procurement Strategy, or NSPS, has agreed to about $15 million in preliminary
contracts for joint support ships, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker polar
icebreaker and offshore fisheries science vessels.
The joint support ships will replace the Royal Canadian
Navy’s auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels. The CCGS John G. Diefenbaker
is a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker being built by Seaspan Marine Corp. It’s expected
to join the fleet in 2017, with delivery coinciding with the decommissioning of
the Canadian Coast Guard’s heavy icebreaker, the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.
The offshore fisheries science vessels are intended to
replace the CCGS Teleost, the Alfred Needler and the W.E.
Ricker.
“The joint support ships will be a critical tool for
achieving success in both international and domestic Canadian Armed Forces
missions,” Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Associate Minister of National Defense and
Member of Parliament for Delta–Richmond East, said in a statement. “We are
committed to the complex work of rebuilding our Royal Canadian Navy’s surface
fleet, creating high-quality marine sector jobs and to getting the job done
right.”
As part of the NSPS, Vancouver Shipyards Co. will assist in
the progression and assessment of the joint support ship design options;
initiate a review of the polar icebreaker design and refine the offshore
fisheries science vessel design and specifications; and produce construction
plans and determine requirements for material, subcontractors and labor.
“The (Canadian) Government created the National Shipbuilding
Procurement Strategy to support Canadian jobs and industries, while bolstering
the Canadian economy by building ships right here in Canada,” Rona Ambrose,
Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of
Women, said in a statement. “Industry analysts have estimated that our
shipbuilding strategy will contribute 15,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast
and over $2 billion in annual economic benefits over the next 30 years.”
