vessel procurement Halifax and she was transitioned back to the Canada this summer. Docking Work Periods (DWP) have also been completed on the following vessels under the FELEX program (repairs of smaller scope than MLR): HMCS St. John’s, HMCS Ville de Quebec and HMCS Toronto. HMCS Charlottetown is scheduled to arrive in April 2013. Durrell further noted that: “We employ approximately 1,400 skilled, experienced shipbuilders, many of whom are busy on the program to build nine high-tech Hero-class Mid-Shore Patrol Vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard, a contract worth $194 million. The 1st of class Mid-Shore Patrol Vessel, CCGS Private Robertson V.C., completed successful sea trials this summer and has been delivered to our customer. The 2nd of class ship, CCGS Caporal Kaeble V.C., was launched September 22 and is now undergoing finishing work as we prepare her for delivery by the end of the year. All Mid-shore Patrol vessels are contracted for completion in 2014.”
Michel Vermette, Deputy Commissioner, Vessel Procurement, echoed the message from Mack and furthered added that...success...would be based on collaboration and partnership On July 10, 2012, Minister Peter MacKay was at Halifax Shipyard to announce the signing of an Ancillary Contract, the pre-planning agreement to begin contract work in preparation for the Engineering (Definition) and Build (Implementation) Contracts for the first set of NSPS vessels, the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships. This $9M contract put a team of 30 to work on reviewing Canada’s AOPS design, developing an execution strategy, and doing a detailed cost-estimate on the Engineering phase of the program. “The contract is an important step forward,” said Durrell. “It’s getting us closer to cutting steel, which puts good people to work and creates opportunities for businesses and suppliers. 2015 is the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) published
date for construction to begin on the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS). We are hopeful of expediting this date.” In speaking on behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard, Michel Vermette, Deputy Commissioner, Vessel Procurement, echoed the message from Mack and furthered added that the success of the vessel procurement projects would be based on collaboration and partnership, both with industry and internally with other government departments: “Whether those partnerships are internal to government, like our partnership with Public Works and Government Services Canada or with suppliers – like STX Marine who designed our Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) and are designing the Polar Icebraker, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, or even the long-term partnership that we’re establishing with Vancouver Shipyards, we’re not going to be successful unless we have those strong partnerships in place. We’re really excited by that kind of ability to build on strengths within the partnerships. We still at early days right now with Vancouver Shipyards — they’re building and changing their operations to meet our needs and what a wonderful opportunity for us under the NSPS to build our relationship.” And while only two small contracts have so far been established with Vancouver Shipyards (for support work on the designs of the Polar Icebreaker and the science vessels), Vermette’s office has been busy with other projects that continue the plan to rebuild CCG’s fleet. Among these: • Vermette expects the delivery of a new Hovercraft from England in late 2013 to be put into service at the Sea Island Station on the West Coast. • The federal government recently announced plans to replace CCG’s current fleet of aging helicopters. “We had an Industry Day in early September which provided for some very productive discussion,” said Vermette. “There is no contract yet so the total value of the project is not established but at this point but we’re looking for up to 24 helicopters to replace our entire existing fleet.” • The first of the projects under the Small Vessel Procurement budget has been confirmed to replace 10
Michelle Vermette, Deputy Commissioner, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard. Arun Class lifeboats, originally designed by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute in the U.K. “We’re in contract for design of those now,” said Vermette. “The designer is Robert Allan Ltd. and we’ve asked them to take the design from the RNLI and essentially Canadianize it. We hope to finish the design by the end of this calendar year/early next year and then go out to RFP in late 2013.” Based on that timing, delivery for the first of the vessels is expected sometime around 2015. • The third piece of NSPS, the repair and maintenance work (the first piece being the large builds and the second the smaller vessels), got under way at the beginning of October with the announcement from MP Rick Dykstra at the Upper Lakes yard in St. Catharines on the life extension of the CCGS Amundsen. The project will start by the end of October. The first stage will include replacing five main engines and three ship service generators which were installed when she was built in 1979. (The CCGS Amundsen is the CCG icebreaker featured on the back of Canada’s new polymer $50 bill.) • Under the main portion of the NSPS, the large builds, the first ships to be built for the CCG are the three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels and the Offshore Oceanographic November 2012 BC Shipping News 37