Thales, in its role as Seaspan Shipyards’ Electronic Systems Integrator for the Canadian National Shipbuilding Strategy’s non-combat vessels, has awarded key contracts for Canada’s new Joint Support Ships.
Contracts have been awarded to DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. (DRS TCL), located in Ottawa, Ontario, and OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) located in Burnaby, British Columbia.
The firm said in a release:
“Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Thales is a Tier One partner and the Electronic Systems Integrator for Seaspan Shipyards for the non-combat vessels. Thales is responsible for the procurement and integration of key systems and equipment for these important ships, including the Royal Canadian Navy’s new Joint Support Ships and the Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels and the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Seaspan Shipyards relies on Thales’ decades of experience managing complex supply chains across multiple markets, with the know-how required to successfully integrate the systems onboard these important vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy.”
Under its contract with Thales, OSI will supply and support the installation of an Integrated Bridge and Navigation System IBNS.
DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. will provide the Internal Communications Systems, which consists of the Secure Voice and Tactical Intercommunication System, Ship’s Telephone System and Main Broadcast and Alarm System. Thales will be integrating the Internal Communications Systems with the other communication, control and monitoring systems on board the vessels to provide a complete, integrated communication solution for the Joint Support Ships to support sailors with the best available information in every decisive moment.
“These contracts are the latest example of the growing Canadian supply chain being developed as Seaspan and partners like Thales work together under the National Shipbuilding Strategy,” said Mark Lamarre, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards.
“The work taking place at OSI and DRS Technologies Canada Ltd. is indicative of the world class standard of products and services that Canadian companies are able to competitively deliver as part of the broader shipbuilding industry.”
Good news. Canada are building some ships.
Let’s hope when Castro Junior has gone they get a patriot as PM.
Well I’m blowed! The Canadians haven’t put non warship contracts out to foreign shipyards. Quick call the EU after all they have a trade deal with them. Outrageous …
And here is a new thing – they are restoring their own supply chain by INVESTING!
Yes.
The thing to remember is that the Civil Service’s overwhelming policy is to do all it can to submit us to the EU and promote the EU into its wider political destiny. Add to that various politicians from all sides… not least Liberals, but many others… who are willing to assist.
So they will gold plate any EU rule they can to destroy UK independence. It’s perverse if you are Scottish and want to leave the UK but be subsumed into the EU. (What they would do with their shipyards is another matter)
@Trevor – The Term ‘Establishment’ can get over used but here it is totally right. They are fulfilling their own and the vested interests created by the EU for its own purposes over the 26 years of its existence. They have worked quietly and out of sight. Just like the very purpose of the EU was denied to us – That of ‘Political Union’ while we were told it was about trade ‘just like the EEC’. When your own people in power are working against the interests of your sovereign nation state for THEIR interests and those of a foreign… Read more »
Dear Chris and Trevor. I would like to sell you both a spoon. The spoons cost £15 each, but they are 100% British* made by Old Fred, my spoon maker. So some of that £15 goes back into the economy!! If you do not buy my £15 spoons, I shall sack Old Fred. For some reason you are my only customers, so the sacking will be 100% your fault and I shall blame you publicly for this. If you attempt to buy a spoon from a cheaper source, such as amazon, I shall also attack you publicly for ‘not supporting… Read more »
@Pooky – well that was a nice try but sadly you (as other proponents of buying foreign do) forgot to mention a key factor. Retained economic revenue. But then you were trying to prove the converse of my point. And you forget my point was the expenditure of UK Taxpayer’s money not private money. * The fact Old Fred will lose his job probably means he and his family will have to resort to welfare which is an added cost to UK taxpayers rather than a nett benefit if he remains employed and pays tax / NI. So that is… Read more »
Chris to be fair I’ve done a bit of research and other than the Tide class ships UK has never placed an order outside the UK for a Naval Vessels. No UK yard bid for the Tide Class so there was never an option to place the order with UK yard, as I understand they were too busy with the carriers. The SSS ships may go to a foreign yard but may be not. But as of today UK orders do not seem to have gone to UK yards except when there was no capacity. Somehow the fuss around the… Read more »
@Expat – It isn’t just shipbuilding and my position is quite simple – The UK MoD should never ever buy anything from any foreign source unless it is for very special or particular reasons. Those 5,000 trucks should have been built here by LDV or by Oshkosh keeping £1 Bn here in the UK (less profits going to the USA in the case of Oshkosh). The 2,700 OshKosh vehicles should be built here but I guarantee Oshkosh were never asked the question. Those two contracts alone denied the UK economy of £2.1 Bn and benefited Germany and will benefit the… Read more »
Chris, I’m glad that you think £15 is the best price for a spoon. Although I’m not sure how you’ve established that without testing the market. However, since we are now in a single source negotiation, it’s just gone up to £20. It might go up more, what are you going to do? I’m also glad that you’ve decided to accept whatever spoon I deliver to you, since you haven’t looked at the other spoons out there. I might deliver it late as well, and it might not work first time, what are you going to do? I’m not an… Read more »
Good analogy Pooky. Look at the OPV’s we bought, pants definitely round the ankles with those. Why because BAe had the government on the hook contractually and politically. The advocates say it doesn’t matter because the now £25 spoon returns 50% back to the government. So we get £12:50 back, the other 50% gets spent through wages on foreign holidays, BMWs and Samsung TVs. So perhaps it might of been better to buy a £1 foreign spoon and invest the £24 difference back in the UK science and education. Of course the government should buy British if its at competitive… Read more »