The Ship Model Forum

Government of Canada takes final step before building RCN Joint Support Ships

The Government of Canada awarded the design and production engineering contract for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Joint Support Ship (JSS). The Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the Minister of National Defence announced a $230 million contract with Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. that will help develop and finalize the design of the Navy’s JSS. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2018.

The JSS will allow naval task groups to remain at sea anywhere in the world for long periods of time without going to shore for replenishment. It will provide fuel, ammunition, spare parts, food, and water to Canadian and allied vessels. These modern ships will also support deployed forces with medical and dental care facilities, as well as helicopter repair capabilities.

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Bad News for Defence: Budget 2017

by David Perry
CGAI Senior Analyst
March, 2017

On March 22, the Government of Canada published a federal budget with nothing but bad news for Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND). This budget, the second for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has removed a massive amount of money - $8.48 billion - set aside to buy Capital equipment and build infrastructure over the next twenty years. This shift, the largest ever re-profiling of the money earmarked to buy new kit and buildings for the military, is bad news for three reasons. First, the budget indicates that either the defence procurement system the Liberals inherited has not improved over the last year, or that the Trudeau government is choosing to remove the funding. Second, while defence funding has been shifted before, never have defence dollars been removed more than six years into the future. This budget removes defence funding allocated out through 2035-36, taking away future procurement funding that was scarce to start with. Third, the budget signals that Canadians should expect their new defence policy to reflect a military with significantly less money than it had prior to March 22, 2017.

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Are the New AOR and Polar Icebreaker Dead?
March 23, 2017 RCN News Magazine

Tiny statement on national defense in the 2017 Statement on Fiscal Policy (Budget) omits any mention of National Shipbuilding Strategy at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. This appears to indicate no support for shipbuilding on the West Coast.

In addition, the already announced purchase of 18 new Super Hornet aircraft will be “explored.” Seaspan has not responded to request for statement as of press time.

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RCMP probe that led to Vice-Admiral Mark Norman’s removal is focused on $700 million supply ship

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen | April 3, 2017 | Last Updated: Apr 3 6:44 AM ET


The RCMP probe that led to the removal of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman as the Canadian military’s second-in-command also involves a high-powered defence industry lobbyist in Ottawa and an executive with a firm affiliated with a Quebec shipyard.

Multiple sources have confirmed the RCMP’s investigation is focused mainly on Project Resolve, a $700-million plan to provide the Royal Canadian Navy with a much-needed supply and refuelling ship.

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Admiral told a friend he was 'exhausted' by internal shipbuilding battles
Vice-Admiral Norman was suspended in January over allegations of leaking secret information

By Murray Brewster, CBC News Posted: Apr 05, 2017 11:07 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 06, 2017 5:01 AM ET

The military's embattled second-in-command considered resigning when he was head of the Royal Canadian Navy, over what he perceived was political interference from the newly elected Liberal government, CBC News has learned.

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's frustration hit the boiling point during one weekend in late November 2015, days after a series of leaks about the troubled national shipbuilding program.

He confided to a friend that he was "exhausted" by the internal political, bureaucratic and corporate battles; that he was "prepared to go public, if necessary;" how he couldn't "keep playing along much longer" and he was "prepared to resign over this," sources told CBC News.

The focus of his frustration related to a cabinet decision temporarily halting the planned lease of a much-needed navy supply ship from Levis, Que.-based Chantier Davie shipyards.

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New cost for Joint Support Ship to be released next year - $2.3 billion not enough

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: October 6, 2017 | Last Updated: October 6, 2017 9:37 AM EDT

The Canadian government has listed the cost of the Joint Support Ship acquisition as $2.3 billion. That, however, is set to change. “As for costs, the published estimate of $2.3B is from the earlier part of the decade and is several years old,” noted an email from the Department of National Defence. “The figure predates Strong, Secure, Engaged and the rigorous costing exercise that was used. That particular cost estimate – much like others – has been kept online as a reference tool only.”

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Construction of Canadian navy's supply ships delayed until 2019, Liberal report reveals
The navy had hoped to get the first ship in 2021 and the second in 2022. Industry officials, however, have said that those delivery dates are highly unlikely

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen

January 15, 2018
6:58 PM EST


Construction of the navy’s supply ships won’t start until 2019, the federal government says, yet another delay in outfitting the maritime service with a critical capability.

Work on the first Joint Support Ship at Seaspan shipyards in Vancouver was supposed to begin this year, but federal officials recently refused to outline to parliamentarians the building and delivery schedule for those vessels.

However, in the newly released update on the progress on the government’s shipbuilding strategy, the Liberals report that construction will begin in 2019.

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Amid political intrigue, navy welcomes new interim resupply ship to fleet in Halifax
MV Asterix gained notoriety after the RCMP accused Vice-Admiral Mark Norman of leaking cabinet secrets
Michael MacDonald · The Canadian Press · Posted: Mar 06, 2018 5:16 PM AT | Last Updated: March 6

Against a backdrop of political intrigue, the Royal Canadian Navy officially welcomed its newest vessel to the fleet during a ceremony Tuesday at Her Majesty's Canadian Dockyard in Halifax.

The Motor Vessel (MV) Asterix, a former civilian container ship, was extensively reconfigured by Quebec-based Davie Shipbuilding to serve as an interim resupply vessel while the navy awaits construction of two military replacements.

The ship gained notoriety in early 2017 after court documents showed the RCMP suspected Vice-Admiral Mark Norman of leaking secret documents to Davie over fears the Liberal government would cancel the project.

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Mounties charge Vice-Admiral Mark Norman with breach of trust
Norman's lawyer says he's fighting the charge

By Murray Brewster, CBC News Posted: Mar 09, 2018 2:14 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 09, 2018 6:28 PM ET

Amid political intrigue, navy welcomes interim resupply ship
Wave of retirements leads to musical chairs among military top brass
Trudeau says case against vice-admiral accused of leaking secrets will 'inevitably' go to court
Lobbyists scrambled to manage Liberal cabinet's review of Davie ship contract, documents show

The RCMP have laid a single charge of breach of trust against the country's second-highest military commander, CBC News has confirmed.

The charge against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was laid Friday in an Ottawa court. He is scheduled to appear before a judge April 10.

News of the charge comes just weeks after a senior federal prosecutor in Halifax was put in charge of the case, say several sources with knowledge of the file.

Those multiple sources also say the scope of the investigation was expanded recently beyond claims that Norman was the source of unauthorized disclosures to the media shortly after the Liberal government was elected in the fall of 2015.

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Feds OK early start to construction of navy's new supply ships: CP Sources
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, May 17, 2018 3:32PM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, May 17, 2018 5:29PM EDT

OTTAWA -- The federal government has approved plans to start some work on the navy's new support ships in the coming months in a bid to keep delivery of the much-needed vessels from slipping farther behind schedule.

Seaspan Shipyards is expected to begin cutting steel on some parts of the two vessels in Vancouver this summer during a lull in the construction of two science vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard, several sources told The Canadian Press.

The science vessels will still be delivered first, but officials are hoping that the head start will result in the first Protecteur-class joint support ship, as the naval vessels are officially known, being delivered 2022.
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New delays in 10 military procurements: DND
Canadian Press
Lee Berthiaume
16 hrs ago

OTTAWA - The Defence Department is reporting fresh delays in 10 major military procurement projects, even as defence officials cast about for better ways to predict and manage when new equipment will get to the troops.

The schedule slippage is detailed in a new report to Parliament and runs the gamut from a minor snag in the final delivery of engineering vehicles for the army to years of delays in the planned delivery of naval vessels.

Many of the projects, such as the naval vessels and new transport trucks for the army, were already several years behind schedule, meaning they are now extra late.

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The 10 major projects identified in the Defence Department report as having experienced new delays include:

— The navy's new Arctic offshore patrol ships. Finn attributed the delay to problems with a subcontractor. The first vessel was supposed to arrive this year, but now won't be delivered until 2019.

— The air force's CP-140 surveillance planes, which are due to be upgraded. The report appeared to pin the blame on the company responsible for the work, saying negotiations had "increased cost and reduced flexibility."

— The navy's new support ships, with delivery of the first pushed to 2023 from 2021. The government has recently approved a plan to start work early on the vessels, which officials are hoping will result in delivery in 2022.

— The army's new transport trucks, with the delivery scheduled pushed back six months at the company's request, though Finn also indicated that there were some design concerns.

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Seaspan to begin Canadian Joint Support Ship construction

Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has been awarded a CAD$66 million contract to start construction of Joint Support Ships (JSS) for the Royal Canadian Navy.

Starting work in the next two months, Seaspan will build up to 52 blocks that will eventually constitute complete ships.

The new joint support ships will provide fuel, ammunition, spare parts, food, and water to Canadian and allied vessels. The two Protecteur-class ships, as the class will be named, will replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels.

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Ceremony to be held Friday for cutting of steel on the first Joint Support Ship

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: June 13, 2018

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough will take part in a steel cutting ceremony for the first of two Joint Support Ships. That is happening on Friday at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

Taxpayers will have to spend $1.1 billion extra on new navy supply ships, the Liberal government recently acknowledged.

Previously the cost of building the two Joint Support Ships at Seaspan shipyards had been pegged at $2.3 billion.

But the government ordered a review of that cost figure and in an email to Postmedia, Qualtrough’s office confirmed the cost for the Joint Support Ships is set at $3.4 billion.

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Seaspan Shipyards Started Construction on Canada’s Joint Support Ship

Posted On Wednesday, 20 June 2018 10:58

“Today’s start of construction ceremony is important not only for our company and customer, but also for Canada’s shipbuilding industry and the thousands of hardworking women and men it employs,” said Brian Carter, President & CEO of Seaspan Shipyards. “Cutting steel on the first Joint Support Ship for the Royal Canadian Navy is yet another demonstration of how shipbuilding is back in Canada and our company is proud to be leading the way.”

With the start of construction on JSS, Seaspan will ensure that continuous production is realized on its work as Canada’s non-combat shipbuilder. At its peak, work on JSS will contribute towards sustaining an estimated 1,000 jobs for tradespeople and approximately 300 office staff at Vancouver Shipyards. In addition, Seaspan’s work on JSS will leverage its broader Canadian supply chain and support the continued growth of Canada’s shipbuilding and marine industries.

“Alion Canada is proud of our role in the design development and integration to support Seaspan's work building Canada's next generation of non-combat vessels under the National Shipbuilding Strategy,” said Bruce Samuelsen, Chief Operating Officer Alion Science and Technology President Alion Canada. “The opportunities associated with the Joint Support Ships will ensure that Canada's domestic ship design, engineering, and shipbuilding industries continue to grow and provide long-term, well-paid jobs.”

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Seaspan brings in Lockheed Martin for Canadian Joint Support Ship construction
Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has awarded Lockheed Martin Canada a CAD118 million contract to provide the Command Management System for the Royal Canadian Navy’s Joint Support Ships.
Seaspan says this is the largest contract package the company will award for work on the JSS.
Lockheed Martin is one of several major systems integrators that Seaspan as prime contractor is working with in order to meet its commitments under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).
Lockheed Martin will provide a command management system based around the CMS 330 for the JSS. CMS 330 integrates a ship’s weapons, data, sensors and other equipment into a single operating system. The system has been designed and developed in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and optimized for Canadian Doctrine and Operating procedures.(...SNIPPED)

MAN to power Canada’s Joint Support Ships
Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has awarded MAN Energy Solutions Canada a CAD 55 million contract to provide essential power generation and propulsion systems for the Royal Canadian Navy’s new Joint Support Ships.
Propulsion and power generation components will include two MAN 12V32/44CR (Common Rail) propulsion engines equipped with environmental protection SCR technology, reduction gears, propulsion shafts, propellers, ship service diesel generator sets, and an emergency diesel generator set.
Work on these components will take place in Europe at MAN’s established manufacturing facilities. Work taking place in Canada will include MAN providing the integration for these systems, training, testing, and support during the harbor acceptance trials and the sea acceptance trials.
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Hepburn Engineering secures contract to provide replenishment systems for Canada’s Joint Support Ships
Toronto-based company to provide Replenishment-at-Sea systems for the Royal Canadian Navy’s new Joint Support Ships
August 13, 2019 14:13 ET | Source: Seaspan ULC

NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) is pleased to announce that it has awarded Hepburn Engineering Inc. (Hepburn) of Toronto, ON, a contract for work on Canada’s new Joint Support Ships.
Hepburn will provide four Replenishment Stations for the Joint Support Ships, which will allow the vessels to transfer fuel, fresh water, and solid goods to and from other vessels. These Replenishment-at-Sea (RAS) systems will be fully compatible with NATO standards, thereby allowing the JSS to resupply and refuel Canadian and allied task force ships at sea, considerably extending their range of operations.
Hepburn is recognized as a world leader in the development, design and manufacture of RAS systems and has the most advanced digital control systems on the market. Hepburn is 100% Canadian owned and operated and has been providing these systems to navies worldwide for over half a century. As the only Canadian company designing and supplying such systems, Hepburn has built a global reputation based on the safety, performance, reliability, durability and ease of use of the equipment. This contract will support and sustain the creation of high quality mechanical, electrical and software engineering jobs here in Canada as well as highly skilled Canadian manufacturing jobs.
With its work under the NSS, Seaspan has issued more than $935M in committed contracts to approximately 630 Canadian companies. By building ships for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in Canada, Seaspan is helping to re-establish a sustainable marine industry here. As the company continues to make progress on its NSS commitments, this supply chain will grow as more Canadian companies realize new opportunities with a revitalized shipbuilding industry. It is through its work on the NSS that Seaspan is directly and indirectly helping to employ thousands of Canadians from coast to coast.
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Barges being acquired by Canadian navy can be used for Asterix or JSS
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: October 28, 2019
Navamar Inc. of Montreal has received a $12 million contract to provide five “ship-to-shore connector systems” to the Royal Canadian Navy.
The pontoon barges would be used to move supplies to shore from either the MV Asterix replenishment ship or the future Joint Support Ships, reports Esprit de Corps military magazine. The large craft could be used during humanitarian missions or on operations where no dock is available.
The former Protecteur-class replenishment ships also had a landing craft vehicle personnel capability (LCVP), which provided limited support to humanitarian and disaster relief operations, according to the Department of National Defence. “The new sea to shore connectors will be more robust and versatile, and provide a significantly improved capability,” it added in a statement. The connectors will be modular and configurable to adapt to almost any mission, the department noted. They could be used as a temporary jetty anchored to the shoreline or as a large barge to assist in ship maintenance and repair or perform evacuation operations. In terms of cargo capacity, the old LCVP had enough space to transport a couple of pallets of rice bags or 40 people. The new sea to shore connectors will be able to carry thousands of bags of rice, hundreds of personnel, and multiple vehicles, according to the DND.
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