Canadian authorities on Dec. 1 arrested a naturalized
citizen for allegedly trying to sell national shipbuilding secrets to China.
The arrested man, Qing Quentin Huang, is a Toronto resident
employed by Lloyd’s Register Canada. The company is a subcontractor to Irving
Shipbuilding, whose projects include the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship project, a
vessel procurement plan for the Royal Canadian Navy.
In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it
was notified Nov. 28 that Huang was “taking steps to pass sensitive
information” to authorities from the People’s Republic of China.
The information allegedly relates to elements of the
Government of Canada National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, which includes
patrol ships, frigates, naval auxiliary vessels, science research vessels and icebreakers.
“In these types of cases, sharing of information may give a
foreign entity a tactical, military or competitive advantage by knowing the
specifications of vessels responsible for defending Canadian waters and
Canadian sovereignty,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said.
The RCMP said that after it was informed of Huang’s actions,
it initiated a criminal investigation dubbed Project Seascape.
In a statement released the day of the arrest, Irving
Shipbuilding President Kevin McCoy said Huang didn’t have direct access to any
classified or controlled information relating to vessels built as part of the
Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship project.
“Security of information surrounding the AOPS project, and
all NSPS programs is tightly controlled at Irving Shipbuilding,” McCoy said. “We
adhere to all security protocols required by our customers.”
Huang, who has been suspended without pay, was one of 20
marine engineers at Lloyd’s Register’s Burlington, Ontario location since April
2006. His was a structural design appraisal engineer tasked with assessing ship
designs for compliance with industry standards.
