Equipment Procurement
Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships
To Be Purchased: 6 to 8 ships
Acquisition: The Canada First Defence Strategy is fully in line with the Government's Northern Strategy and patrolling our coastal waters, including the Arctic Ocean, is essential to the government's mandate to defend and strengthen Canada's territorial integrity.
The Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) project will deliver six to eight multi-purpose, ice-capable offshore patrol ships with the versatility to navigate rivers, coastal waters and open seas, to crunch though Arctic ice and to guard approaches. They will be armed and equipped with helicopter landing pads, have a range of 6,800 nautical miles and able to sustain operations for up to four months. The vessels will:
- Conduct armed sea-borne surveillance of Canada's three oceans;
- Provide Government with situational awareness of activities in these regions; and
- Cooperate with other elements of the Canadian Forces and other Federal Government departments to assert and enforce Canadian sovereignty.
These ships will be Canadian-built. The procurement strategy for AOPS is subject to the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, which will determine which shipyard will build the AOPS.
In May 2008, a contract was awarded to BMT Fleet Technology to assist in developing a ship specification and drawings package which will be provided to the NSPS selected shipyard to build.
The Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) Policy will be a mandatory element of the AOPS project. The Project Implementation contractor must provide IRBs equivalent to 100% of the values of the acquisition contract and the long-term in-service support contract.
Anticipated delivery of the first ship will be in 2015.
Related Links
Speech (Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces new Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, 9 July 2007)
Backgrounder (Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships)
