Work to begin on navy ships, cost unknown

The cutting of steel for the navy’s long overdue support ships will begin next month in North Vancouver, even though the federal government doesn’t know how much the two vessels will ultimately cost.

The federal procurement minister, Carla Qualtrough, confirmed plans for an early start to work on the supply ships during a breakfast address Thursday at the Cansec defence show in Ottawa.

Seaspan Shipyards will receive $66 million to work on several dozen components of the so-called joint support ships during a lull in the building of two Canadian Coast Guard vessels.

The government is hoping that advance work will shave about a year off the expected delivery time for the first support vessel, which is slated to hit the water in 2023.

It will also ensure Seaspan continues to have work for its employees during what would otherwise be a dead zone between construction of the last of three coast guard fisheries vessels and a new coast guard ocean science ship.

“These support ships will deliver fuel and other vital supplies to vessels at sea,” Qualtrough said, “ensuring our women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces are able to carry out their missions for decades to come.”

The navy has been without a permanent support ship since retiring its last two in 2015 because of an unexpected fire and excessive corrosion, and is currently relying on a converted civilian vessel to fill the gap.

The first new vessel was originally supposed to be delivered in 2019, but the project has been plagued with delays.

Even as work is set to begin, however, Qualtrough conceded later that the government still doesn’t have a concrete estimate of how much the two joint support ships are going to cost.