Canada contracts for Arctic patrol ships

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Six Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships are being built by Irving Shipbuilding, Inc. as part of the Canadian government's National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

The government contract for the vessels is worth $1.85 million, government officials said.

"Our government is committed to ensuring that the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Navy have the equipment needed to monitor and defend Canadian waters, and to contribute to international naval operations well into the 21st century," said Minister for National Defense Rob Nicholson. "The Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships will better enable the Navy to assert and enforce sovereignty in Canadian waters, including in the Arctic."

Public Works and Government Services Canada said building of an initial block for the first AOPS is scheduled for the summer. Full production will begin in September, with the first vessel scheduled for delivery in 2018.

The DeWolf-class Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships will be equipped with a variety of sensors and will also be able to operate and support the new Cyclone naval helicopters. They will have the ability to operate in first-year ice with a thickness of as much as three feet and operate for as long as four months.

The build contract is cost-reimbursable, incentive fee-based.,