The Canadian Government awarded a contract for the construction of six Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) to Irving Shipbuilding Inc as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).
This contract, valued at $2.3 billion, marks the start of the construction phase under the NSPS.
The AOPS build contract will sustain approximately 1,000 jobs at Irving Shipbuilding as well as many jobs at suppliers across Canada.
Construction of an initial block for the first AOPS is scheduled for the summer, while full production will commence in September 2015.
Delivery of the first HMCS Harry DeWolf class ship is expected in 2018.
It was also confirmed that Irving Shipbuilding will be the Prime Contractor for the Canadian Surface Combatant project. As outlined in the NSPS RFP and the resulting umbrella agreement with the selected shipyards, Canada retains the right to determine if the shipyard will be designated as the Prime Contractor. After discussions with industry and review by an independent third party, it was determined that Irving is best positioned to manage the contracts associated with the three decades of work to design and build these ships.
Image: Canadian Goverment