On June 10, the Joint Support Ship (JSS) Build Contract was awarded to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Ltd. (VSY). This $2.4-billion contract will undertake the full construction phase for the replacement of the RCN’s two, previously decommissioned, Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessels. The award directly supports both a significant Strong Secure Engaged initiative, as well as the National Shipbuilding Strategy for the construction of non-combatant ships on the west coast.
Building on ongoing “early construction”, design work and the acquisition of Long Lead Items, the project will deliver the first of the new Protecteur Class, to the Navy in 2023 and the second in 2025. The ships will provide replenishment capabilities and be capable of operating in high-threat environments and conducing a full spectrum of military activities, including support to Naval Task Groups deployed on combat, humanitarian, and disaster-relief missions.
A sign of the times, the Department of National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Department of Justice contract negations team executed the final phase of negotiations with VSY, working entirely remotely during this pandemic period.
4 thoughts on “Construction contract awarded for Joint Support Ships”
Finally, the race to build the two JSS ships has officially started. In my opinion (IMO) however, there has to be serious consideration given to “nailing down” a third vessel to account for short and long term maintenance of these ships. Either another JSS, or after the 5 year “rental” of the MV Asterix, procure that vessel as part of the fleet.
Actually they have been building the first JSS in smaller blocks for some months. Buy a third JSS by all means however buying the Asterix would be a mistake as the potential cost for a used ship would be great.
The cost is not 2.4 billion. It’s 4.1 billion. Yikes.
Hi Glen. Yes, Yikes indeed! And who knows, the final costs may even be higher than $4.1B CAD for both JSS ships. The price of a third JSS might be somewhat less (but not by much). Figure between $1.8-2B CAD. The MV Asterix would probably cost between $500-700M CAD but you are correct. What would the maintenance costs be for an older ship which would at that point, be closing in on 20 yrs old which in civilian terms might mean she would then be ready for de-commissioning. Cheers!