Canada Selects Qualified Bidders for Supply of New Submarines

Joël Lightbound, Canada’s Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, and the Honourable Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement), have announced that the Government of Canada has identified German company Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Korean company Hanwha Ocean as the two qualified suppliers for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).

Delivery of the first Canadian Patrol Submarine is expected no later than 2035.

The new submarine fleet will be deployable in the Arctic with extended range and endurance that will provide stealth, persistence and lethality as key capabilities.

Canada intends to leverage work on the submarines to generate economic benefits for Canada’s marine and defence industry throughout the fleet’s operational life.

Seaspan, a long-standing sustainment partner for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), welcomed the announcement.

For more than 15 years, Seaspan has been providing maintenance, repair and sustainment support for the RCN’s current fleet of submarines. Through this work, Seaspan has built a large, highly skilled and experienced Canadian submarine workforce and a dedicated Canadian supply chain for servicing and outfitting naval submarines.

Seaspan has been proactively working with potential CPSP submarine builders and the Government of Canada to ensure a smooth transition between the existing and the new class of submarines upon their arrival in Canada.

“What is most critical for the success of this program is for the submarine builder to engage with the Canadian submarine enterprise on day one as a full strategic partner,” Dave Hargreaves, Senior Vice President – Strategy, Business Development and Communications, said. “Leveraging the submarine builder’s experience with international partnerships and establishing foreign in-service support capabilities will be essential for the success of this program. Combining that experience with Seaspan Shipyards, as a fully Canadian company, is the best path to both operational success for the Navy and broad, long-term economic and strategic benefits for Canada.”