The Ship Model Forum

Ceremonial keel laying event for Canadian Navy's first Joint Support Ship held at Seaspan
David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: January 16, 2020

A ceremonial keel laying event for the first Joint Support Ship was held Thursday at Seaspan’s North Vancouver shipyard.
The vessel, to be the future HMCS Protecteur, is scheduled for delivery in 2023.

“Today’s ceremony marks another critical milestone in the renewal of the Royal Canadian Navy Fleet via Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy,” Vice-Admiral Art McDonald, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy said in a statement.

Seaspan says it will be the largest naval ship by length ever built in Canada.
The keel laying event is seen as a significant milestone in a ship’s construction. A newly minted coin is placed near the keel where it will remain for the duration of the ship’s life. The coin is said to bring good luck for the builders and all those who sail in the vessel.
Construction of the early blocks of the ship began in June 2018. Currently 16 blocks are complete and another 37 blocks are under construction, according to Seaspan. The first “grand block” was assembled in November 2019. A “grand block” is formed when four large ship blocks comprising more than 160 tons of steel are joined together. Three “grand blocks” are currently assembled.
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Canada awards contract to Seaspan Vancouver to build two joint support ships
June News 2020 Navy Naval Maritime Defense Industry
POSTED ON TUESDAY, 16 JUNE 2020 14:53

On June 15, 2020, the Department of National Defence of Canada has released a statement to announce, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public , Services and Procurement, and the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, announced that Canada has taken an important step toward delivering the RCN’s future fleet, by awarding a performance-based contract to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards for the full construction of two Joint Support Ships (JSS). Valued at $2.4 billion (including taxes), this contract will allow the transition to full-rate construction of the first ship, the construction of early blocks for which began in June 2018, and then the second ship.

Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), the Government of Canada is equipping members of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) with modern, built-in-Canada ships and equipment needed to carry out their important work now and into the future, while supporting and creating jobs right across the country. The NSS contributes over a billion dollars to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) every year, while creating and maintaining more than 15,000 jobs annually in our shipbuilding industry and with Canadian suppliers of the marine sector.

The JSS (Joint Support Ships) will deliver fuel and other vital supplies to vessels at sea, offer medical and dental services, and provide facilities for helicopter maintenance repair. The presence of replenishment ships increases the range and endurance of operations at sea, allowing Canadian combat ships to remain at sea for significant periods of time without going to shore for resupply.

The Joint Support Ship (JSS) project will deliver two new ships of Protecteur-Class, as outlined in Strong, Secured, Engaged, Canada’s defence policy. These Joint Support Ships are being built for the RCN under the National Shipbuilding Strategy and will replace the auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessels that reached the end of their operational lives.

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Canada to pay another $700M for Navy support ships in latest cost increase
June 15th, 2020
The federal government says it expects to pay $700 million more for two new support ships for the navy than expected.
The new figure was revealed today as the government officially awarded a contract to Seaspan shipyards in Vancouver to build the two support ships.
The cost to build the ships was originally pegged at $2.3 billion when Seaspan was first selected to construct the vessels in 2011.
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More delays expected on new navy ships, DND report warns

The Department of National Defence blames COVID-19, but also acknowledges that “additionally, there are other program delays and cost increases for various reasons.”
Author of the article:
David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date:
Jul 08, 2021 • 2 days ago • 3 minute read

The navy’s Arctic and Offshore patrol ships are going to be delayed and will face cost increases while the delivery of its new supply ships could also fall behind schedule, a new National Defence report on procurement warns.


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