B.C. shipyard wins navy contract

The Canadian government has awarded a $69.7 million contract to Victoria Shipyards Company, a West Coast shipbuilder, to build six vessels to be used for basic naval training and development of junior officers. The new so-called Orca-class vessels will replace the more than 50-year-old wooden-hulled ?Yard Auxiliary General? training vessels, said Keith Martin, Liberal MP for Esquimalt Juan de Fuca, at a news conference at Maritime Forces Pacific headquarters near Victoria. “Under the contract, the navy will get a larger, faster, more robust training vessel,” he said.

The 33-metre Orca’s will be capable of speeds of nearly 20 knots and have an endurance of 750 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots and will carry a maximum crew of 24. Delivery of the first ship is expected in mid-2006, with the sixth and final vessel slated for delivery in late 2008. The contract also has an option for two more vessels. The Orca-class vessels will offer advanced training capabilities that closely simulate the performance and conditions experienced on major warships.

The federal contract will also offer a boost to Victoria’s shipbuilding industry, said Martin, parliamentary secretary to Defence Minister Bill Graham. “It’s good economic news for the West Coast shipbuilding industry,” Martin said.

Victoria Shipyards won the contract after a tendering process that started in October 2001. It is the biggest contract Victoria Shipyards has been awarded and will help revive shipbuilding on the West Coast. Recently, the privately-controlled B.C. Ferries Services, one of the largest ferry fleets in the world, decided to award a $500 million contract to build three large vehicle ferries to a German shipyard.