Canada’s Department of National Defence announced that the nation’s fleet of Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships will be operational by 2025. The new fleet will comprise of six ice-capable Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) that will be used by the Royal Canadian Navy for surveillance operations in Canadian waters.
The new fleet will also conduct a wide variety of operations, while it will be able to conduct search and rescue missions throughout the globe.
Also, the fleet is capable of voyaging in the Arctic waters, in sea ice which is up to one metre. The ships will also be compatible with the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new maritime helicopter, the CH-148 Cyclone.
The leading vessel of the fleet, HMCS Harry DeWolf, began being constructed in September 2015. She was officially christened in October 2018 and and although she is scheduled for delivery in this year, she will begin operations from 2020.
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In addition, another vessel from the fleet, HMCS Margaret Brooke, entered full production in August 2016 and is planned to be delivered this year. Jetty infrastructure projects that are needed to support the new fleet in Esquimalt, Halifax and Nanisivik are underway.
The construction of the fleet is conducted by Irving Shipbuilding and the whole project was announced in 2007 by then prime minister Stephen Harper.
Ottawa Citizen commented that despite the fact that the vessels were to have been delivered already by 2013, it’s a question why Canada pays about $400 million for each vessel when Denmark received similar vessels for $70 million each.
During November 2018, the Canadian government announced that it was constructing a sixth Arctic patrol vessel. Yet, it reported that the vessel will cost $800 million to add to the five originally commissioned from Irving Shipbuilding, double the price of the other vessels.
Major subcontractors for the newbuildings include Gibbs & Cox, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Fleetway Inc., Lloyds Register, BAE Systems and L-3 MAPPS. In-service support will be provided by Thales Canada Inc. and Thales Australia Inc.
