CANADA

Maintenance and refit of Halifax frigates

On April 21, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Michael M. Fortier and the Minister of National Defence Peter Gordon MacKay announced the award of two contracts, one to Halifax Shipyards, Nova Scotia, with a value of C$549 million, and the other to Victoria Shipyards Company Limited, British Colombia, with a value of C$351 million, for the on-going maintenance and refit of the Canadian Navy’s 12 Halifax class frigates.

The contract with Halifax Shipyards is for seven frigates on the East coast, which is expected to maintain and create up to 600 local jobs. The contract with Victoria Shipyards is for five frigates on the West coast. It is expected to create up to 110 local jobs and to help maintain an additional 450 jobs.

Each contract is valid for a period of 12 years. If the refit options are exercised, both shipyards will need to complete the refit work of each vessel within a 12-month operational window allotted to that vessel.

The C$1.1 billion Halifax class Combat Systems Integrator (CSI) contract is expected to be awarded in fall 2008 to a team led by either General Dynamics Canada or Lockheed Martin. This contract will involve the upgrade of the Command and Control (C2) system of the 12 frigates, a redesign of the operations room and reconfiguration of the ship’s mast to accommodate a new radar suite. © DAPSS  S.A., 2008, Switzerland