Second iAOR Supply Ship Not Needed: Trudeau

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch

As the legal battle over the fate of Vice Admiral Mark Norman was being played out in an Ottawa court Wednesday just a short distance away in the House of Commons the country’s political leaders were dealing with a related issue.

MV Asterix, accompanying Royal Canadian Navy ships, replenished two US Navy vessels at the same time in the North Atlantic this week. The USN ships are USS Bainbridge and USS Mitscher. March 2018

Norman is charged with one count of breach of trust for allegedly providing information to Davie Shipbuilding which had entered into a deal with the previous Conservative government to provide a supply ship to the Royal Canadian Navy.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer questioned the Liberal government why it was not moving ahead with having Davie provide a second supply ship – the Obelix – to the navy. Scheer said the navy needed the second ship. “The Prime Minister has to stop playing political games and before Christmas should award that contract to Davie,” he told the Commons. “What’s he waiting for?”

But Trudeau accused Scheer of playing “petty politics.”

“The armed forces did an assessment,” Trudeau explained. “They don’t need the Obelix and for him to suggest that we should buy it anyway is pure base politics, the worst politics. We make our decisions based on facts. We recognize the quality of work done by Davie shipyard and we do want them to get good jobs but we are not going to make up work for political reasons.” Trudeau's comments follow the same line as comments made by Minister of Transportation Marc Garneau in December of 2017.

Reports from the Royal Canadian Navy indicate that there is a need for a second supply ship on the West Coast - but for now, the Asterix will be shared between both coasts until the new Protecteur-Class AORs are built by Seaspan and in service around 2026.

M/V A.Obelix is a container ship which is available for immediate purchase and conversion into a second interim-auxiliary oil replenishment ship for the Royal Canadian Navy. Davie Shipbuilding and Federal Fleet Services is offering this to the Government of Canada, and says it could have the Obleix operational as an iAOR by early 2020; six years before the Protecteur-Class AORs are available. 

HMCS Calgary Witnesses Possible Violations of North Korean Sanctions on Patrol in Pacific

By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- The crew of a Canadian warship in the Pacific had front-row seats to potential violations of UN sanctions against North Korea during a recent patrol in the East China Sea -- but was under orders not to intercept any suspicious vessels, the ship's commander says.

HMCS Calgary - Halifax Class Frigate 

Crew members on HMCS Calgary instead took photos and collected other information, Cmdr. Blair Saltel said Tuesday.

"We saw several ship-to-ship transfers at sea and by the markings -- based on the intelligence that we had -- some of those were associated with ... potential violators of those sanctions," Saltel said.

"We maintained a (distance), and that's in (accordance) with the entire approach to the operation. We took pictures, we passed that information to the higher authorities and the expectation is that could be used for legal sanctions."

HMCS Calgary is the first Canadian military vessel to deploy to the area after the federal government agreed earlier this year to help the U.S. and other allies crack down on smuggling designed to subvert sanctions against North Korea.

Western security officials have previously accused Russia and China of exporting oil to North Korea -- or at least turning a blind eye as their companies do -- which would be a violation of sanctions. Both countries have denied the charge.

While the Canadian frigate did not intercept any vessels, Saltel said the mere presence of a Western warship was enough in some cases to cause the other vessels to turn tail and run.

"We noted in a few instances that the transfers would wrap up quite quickly and they would have to escape. So our presence disrupted several of the transfers. But we had no intention of actually doing something as forceful as boarding or blocking a ship."

The Calgary and the navy's interim support ship, MV Asterix, are wrapping up a six-month deployment in the Pacific off Asia, during which they also participated in several multinational military exercises and visited several countries.

One of the main objectives was to demonstrate Canada's naval presence in a part of the world that is growing increasingly important to Canadian prosperity and international security.

Saltel said the deployment has included being shadowed by Chinese naval vessels in the South and East China Seas, which has become routine for Western military ships operating in the area amid growing tensions over competing territorial claims.

The U.S., the United Kingdom and other allies have made a point of sailing close to disputed islands and through disputed waters claimed by China, prompting several close calls and tense moments as the latter flexes its muscles.

The situation in the South China Sea, in particular, has been compared to a powder keg, as Chinese and U.S. naval vessels have almost collided as the U.S. navy has conducted "freedom of navigation" operations.

Saltel said he was not directed to do anything like that, and while HMCS Calgary did sail near the disputed Spratly Islands, its course was intended to save fuel and not to send a message to China.

The Canadian officer said his Chinese "shadows" acted professionally and "never really came within a distance that I would have considered unsafe."

HMCS Calgary's recent deployment was also unique for being the first to involve the Asterix, a converted civilian vessel that the federal government is leasing from Quebec-based Davie Shipbuilding until permanent support ships can be built.

The Asterix is captained and crewed by civilians except for a small contingent of military personnel who are responsible for providing fuel and other supplies at sea. Saltel said it has conducted about 50 such replenishments with the Calgary and allies.

MV Asterix (iAOR) Reaches Full Operational Service within RCN

PRESS RELEASE - Davie Shipbulding & Federal Fleet Services

On January 29, 2018, Davie Shipbuilding and Federal Fleet Services announced that following an intensive period of at-sea trials and testing, Asterix has been formally accepted by the Department of National Defence and has now entered full operational service with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

Asterix completes Royal Canadian Navy trials, achieves Full Operational Capability (FOC) (CNW Group/Davie Shipbuilding)

Asterix completes Royal Canadian Navy trials, achieves Full Operational Capability (FOC) (CNW Group/Davie Shipbuilding)

As planned, Asterix performed daily replenishment-at-sea (RAS) exercises with the RCN and conducted extensive RCAF CH-148 Cyclone helicopter operations to prove and demonstrate the world-leading capabilities of the Resolve-Class Naval Support Ship. These exercises have included everything from dual RAS operations to helicopter landing, take-off and vertical replenishment trials.

Spencer Fraser, CEO of Federal Fleet Services commented "To deliver the first Canadian naval ship in over twenty years, the first supply ship in almost 50 years, and to reach FOC so efficiently and in such a short period of time is a testament to the hard work, dedication and dynamism of the teams at Davie and FFS. We are all very proud of our achievement and appreciative of the professional support we have received from DND and PSPC."

Fraser added, "We promised the government that we would fill a strategic gap in an expedited manner, that we would save the Canadian taxpayer money with our solution, and most importantly, that we would provide the men and women of the RCN and RCAF with a world-class capability they could be proud of. Today marks that achievement and we stand ready to assist the Government of Canada to do more."

Alex Vicefield, Chairman of Davie commented, "We would like to thank Prime Minister Trudeau for the confidence and trust he placed in Canada's largest shipbuilder with the award of this program. We are proud to have delivered, as promised, on this vital defence capability which will serve Canada for years to come."

Over 900 Canadian companies from coast-to-coast participated in the build of Asterix, and the Resolve Class has been hailed worldwide for the innovative Canadian solutions integrated onboard. Participation in this project has assisted the exports of many of Davie's Tier 1 sub-contractors; Hepburn of Toronto designed and built the RAS equipment, L3 MAPPS of Montreal designed and installed the Integrated Platform Management System and OSI of Vancouver designed and built the Integrated Bridge System. By participating in the project, these and other innovative Canadian companies have been able to win export opportunities.

Asterix is now ready for global deployment to support combat and humanitarian operations as directed by the Government of Canada.

iAOR Role can be Expanded and Outfitted for Disaster-Relief

By: David Pugliese, National Post

OTTAWA — The company providing an interim supply ship for Canada’s navy is looking at expanding the vessel’s disaster-relief capabilities, a role identified by the Liberal government as a key future military mission.

The MV Asterix, a commercial vessel that is being converted into a supply ship for the Canadian Navy, is seen June 23, 2016, at Quebec's Chantier Davie shipyards. The ship's hull has been hollowed out to accommodate new fuel tanks and it will be receiving a new superstructure.

Chantier Davie shipyards of Levis, Que., and its sister company Federal Fleet Services, will be gathering Canadian firms in Ottawa on June 28 so they can outline disaster-relief equipment available for the ship, to be delivered to the navy late next year.

The ship is being created by converting a commercial vessel, the MV Asterix. The project has attracted interest from the Australian, New Zealand and South African navies.

Canadian suppliers of equipment for disaster and humanitarian missions will outline what they can supply for the vessel and that information will be passed on to the Royal Canadian Navy, said John Schmidt, a vice-president with Federal Fleet Services in Ottawa.


The ship’s main role is to refuel and resupply warships at sea. But the navy has also said it wants the vessel to have capabilities for humanitarian missions, although it has not outlined many specifics.

The Liberal government has said it wants the Canadian military to play more of a role in disaster and humanitarian missions.

“Canada has a lot of companies who are leaders in technology who can meet these demands, but they have never had the opportunity to bid to the Canadian government,” Schmidt said.

Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian PressThe MV Asterix is seen at Davie Shipbuilding in Levis, Que., on Oct. 13, 2015.

He noted the ship has a lot of flexibility since it can carry several dozen sea containers of emergency equipment. It can also provide medical assistance and has room for more than 200 passengers for a disaster-relief operation.

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, who will take over later in the summer as vice-chief of the defence staff, told the Ottawa Citizen in a recent interview that the navy is looking at ways to outfit its ships for future humanitarian missions.

Noting other countries’ interest in the conversion project, Schmidt said navies around the world need to replace aging supply vessels. “Everyone is watching their budgets,” he explained. “If there is a way to provide a capability at a reduced cost, then navies are interested in hearing about it.”

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Schmidt said delivery of the ship to the Canadian navy is on schedule for September 2017. The company is motivated to keep its schedule because it doesn’t receive any payment until the vessel is delivered, he added.

Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian PressThe MV Asterix is seen at Davie Shipbuilding in Levis, Que., on Oct. 13, 2015.

The Canadian government decided to proceed with the conversion of the commercial container ship after the navy’s existing two supply vessels were pulled from active service because of age and structural issues.

Under a lease agreement, Federal Fleet Services would provide a civilian crew to operate the ship. Royal Canadian Navy personnel would be on board to handle communications and the actual transfer of supplies and fuel to warships.

The conversion project and lease of the vessel is estimated to cost about $700 million.

The lease would run for five years, with an option after that to extend on a yearly basis for a total of another five years.

Under the federal government’s national shipbuilding strategy, Seaspan in Vancouver is to build two supply ships for the Canadian navy. But those are not expected to be ready until around 2020.