More delays expected for navy’s new fleet

First ships pushed back to early 2030s

OTTAWA • The Department of National defence says the first of 15 new warships being built for the royal Canadian Navy will be delivered years later than expected as officials working on the $60-billion project grapple with unexpected design and construction challenges.

The delay means Canada will need to spend more on its 12 aging Halifax-class frigates to keep them floating longer, and is sure to set off a fresh debate and lobbying around what amounts to the largest military procurement in Canadian history.

yet the defence department’s head of procurement insists the project remains on budget thanks to built-in contingencies, while navy commander Vice-admiral Craig baines expressed confidence that his force would not be unduly affected by the delay.

That is despite a recent report that outlined concerns about the advanced age of the frigates, which was making it more difficult to find spare parts and conduct other maintenance on the 1980s Halifax-class warships.

“When you put ships in saltwater over time, there’s going to be an effect,” baines told The Canadian Press in an interview. “but right now, based on all our estimates on the conditions of the ships, we’re very comfortable that we’ll be able to transition with this plan.”

The delay is nonetheless the latest setback for the new fleet of warships, which are known in military circles as Canadian “surface combatants” and are expected to serve as the Navy’s backbone for the better part of the century.

The warship project was launched in earnest nearly a decade ago when Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax was selected in October 2011 to build the fleet, with the total cost estimated at around $26 billion and the first ship to be delivered in the mid2020s.

That vague schedule remained largely unchanged, at least on paper, even as the estimated price tag ballooned to $60 billion and Ottawa ordered several smaller ships so Irving would have work until the surface combatants were ready for construction.

but Troy Crosby, the defence department’s assistant deputy minister of matériel, revealed Monday that the first ship is now scheduled for delivery in the early 2030s as officials grapple with the final design and face longer-than-expected construction times.

The new warships are based on the Type-26 frigate, which is also being built by the united Kingdom and Australia, but Canadian officials have been making numerous changes to the design to meet Canada’s unique military — and industrial — requirements.

At the same time, Crosby said the british and Australian experiences have shown that construction of the new vessels will take 71/2 years, rather than the original estimate of five years.

The schedule slippage comes as the parliamentary budget officer is preparing to release a highly anticipated update on the estimated cost of the warship project. defence officials have quietly expressed concern the review will show a sizable increase.