The contract includes potential extensions that could carry support through to the end of life of the Victoria-class fleet. Babcock said the structure is intended to provide uninterrupted service during the transition to Canada’s next submarines.
The company has been Canada’s submarine sustainment partner under the VISSC for more than 18 years. It said the programme has developed engineering expertise, platform knowledge, a specialised workforce, a Canadian supply chain and a sovereign sustainment capability.
“Supporting the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy with a safe and capable submarine fleet is something Babcock is hugely proud of, and this contract extension continues our longstanding partnership and delivery of this important sovereign and strategic capability,” said Tony March, CEO of Babcock Canada. “The extension builds on our core position as Canada’s submarine sustainment partner delivering world-class support and will drive enhanced outcomes for the existing Victoria-class fleet.”
“It will also enable Canada’s submarine sustainment enterprise to achieve a smooth transition to Canada’s future submarine capability,” March said. His comments place the extension in a wider policy context, linking current fleet support with preparations for Canada’s next undersea capability.
Babcock said its work on the VISSC has generated more than $3.2 billion in GDP impact for Canada since 2008. The company said the programme has maintained more than 1,500 jobs annually and built a supply chain of more than 450 Canadian suppliers.
The company also pointed to cooperation with Canadian universities, colleges, Indigenous communities and small and medium-sized businesses. It said those relationships support skills development, training and innovation across Canada’s submarine industrial base.
The extension comes as Canada looks towards the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. Babcock said it is ready to provide an all-encompassing, purpose-built and sovereign sustainment solution for the programme.
If selected as Canada’s CPSP sustainment partner, Babcock said its work under the VISSC would help prepare its workforce and supply chain for the expanded fleet’s arrival in the 2030s. The company framed the extension as a bridge between maintaining the current Victoria-class submarines and supporting Canada’s longer-term submarine ambitions.
