Canada to build two Joint Support Ships

Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced on Wednesday the government will restart the process of building two new navy ships, a project that is expected to take two years of design work and cost an estimated $2.6-billion.

The government plans to acquire two Joint Support Ships, with the option to procure a third, after the two-year ship design process is completed by government and industry officials.

“The Joint Support Ship means a navy with more reach, a navy with better endurance, a navy with an independent capacity to act in service of Canada and Canada’s national interests,” said Mr. MacKay.

The ships will be built at a shipyard in Canada, to be chosen through a competitive process, Mr. MacKay said during a news conference in Halifax.

“This is going to be a boom time for shipbuilding throughout Atlantic Canada and throughout the country,” said Mr. MacKay.

Joint Support Ships are used primarily to supply fuel, ammunition, spare parts, food, and water. In Canada, the ships will allow the navy to be deployed for longer periods of time – a “critical asset to operations in the North,” said Mr. MacKay.

They will also support deployed ships overseas, and increase the navy’s responsiveness to disasters and humanitarian crises such as Haiti, he said.

The government originally announced a plan to buy three ships but it was put on hold in 2008 after bids were deemed too expensive.

The new ships would replace Canada’s 40-year-old supply vessels.

The JSS will also provide a home base for the maintenance and operation of helicopters, a limited sealift capability, and logistics support to forces deployed ashore, the government said. It would be capable of carrying army vehicles and would likely house a hospital.