Naval Group, Fincantieri bid for Canadian ship contract

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- French and Italian naval builders, the Naval Group and Fincantieri, are offering an off-the-shelf class of warship for to the Royal Canadian Navy.

The ship for Canada's 12-vessel requirement is based on the FREMM multi-role frigate used by the navies of both countries and can be easily modified to meet Canadian specifications, Fincantieri said in a news release.

The bid of the two companies has the backing of the governments of France and Italy.

"Should the offer be accepted, the future frigates would be built in Canada at Irving Shipbuilding in a very short time, maximizing Canadian Industrial participation and job creation locally through a dedicated and comprehensive transfer of technology, as well as integrating Canadian suppliers into the two companies' global supply chains," Fincantieri said.

The FREMM frigate is a multi-role vessel capable of anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine, land attack and command ship missions. The vessel comes in two variants -- general purpose and anti-submarine warfare variants.

Additional details of the combatant surface vessels bid by the two companies was not disclosed.