New Supply Ships Are On (Again) For Canadian Navy

The Canadian government recently announced plans to acquire 2 joint support ships to replace its 2 40-year-old supply ships HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver. Good news for the Canadian Navy but why did it take almost 2 years to make this decision after the first joint support ship project was cancelled?!

Canada has unveiled details of its re-scoped Joint Support Ship (JSS) programme almost two years after its original JSS acquisition plan was abandoned on grounds of affordability. The revised strategy reduces the core requirement from three ships to two, although it retains an option for a third vessel. The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) announced on 14 July that its new JSS plan will see the construction of the two vessels for CAD2.6 billion (USD2.5 billion).

In the first JSS project the DND called for the construction of three ships for CAD2.9 billion including in-service and support but the selected shipbuilders deemed this level of funding insufficient. The DND cancelled the project in August 2008 claiming that the industry bids did not meet budget expectations.

The reduction in the number of ships has raised concerns in Canadian naval circles that the procuring of just two ships (one for each coast) will result in lower levels of guaranteed availability of about 60-70 per cent instead of the 98-99 per cent that the navy would get with three vessels.

The DND said that during the new definition phase it will assess both existing and new designs for the JSS that meet specific naval requirements and that a new design that is under consideration is currently being developed "in-house". The DND added: "The selected ship design will be based on the best value in terms of capability and affordability, ensuring the successful delivery of the JSS."

A new JSS design will be available within two years, after which a Canadian shipbuilder will be selected through a competitive process under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) to complete the design and build the ships

The new vessels are expected to have the following capabilities:

■Underway Support to Naval Task Groups: Underway support is the term that describes the transfer of liquids and solids (fuel and cargo) between ships at sea. This underway support also includes the operation and maintenance of helicopters, as well as task group medical and dental facilities;
■Limited Sealift: To meet a range of possibilities in an uncertain future security environment, the JSS will be capable of delivering a limited amount of cargo ashore; and
■Limited Support to Forces Ashore: The JSS will have space and weight allocated for the potential future inclusion of a limited joint task force headquarters for command and control of forces deployed ashore.

By: Shelldrake