DCN offers maintenance system to RCN

A French naval shipyard wants to sell the Canadian navy (RCN) a maintenance formula designed to ensure its troubled submarine fleet spends more time at sea. Direction des Constructions Navales, known as DCN, is based in Cherbourg, France and representatives are in Halifax this week touting a maintenance method which, they claim, works for France?s fleet of nuclear subs.

“”We are not aiming at selling submarines, we are not aiming at providing the maintenance of the submarines,” Denis Drouin, a business developer with DCN, said. “We would like to sell our expertise in the field of submarine maintenance.” DCN is owned by the French government and employs about 13,000 people. Besides building subs and warships for France, it has a host of other international clients.

“Today DCN is the only company that is providing a navy with a guarantee on the number of days per year that a submarine is available at sea,” Drouin said. “For instance, we guarantee the French navy that every (one of the six Rubis Amethyste class submarines) will be available 240 days a year.” That?s a 50 per cent increase in availability since 2002, Mr. Drouin said. “And the cost has decreased.”

Three groups, including Irving-owned Halifax Shipyard Ltd. in partnership with BAE Systems, the British company that built and now maintains the sub, are now vying for the lucrative $1.45-billion contract to maintain Canada?s diesel-electric submarines. The bidding is slated to close at the end of this month and the navy hopes to make a recommendation to government around Christmas.