Irving reportedly upset over losing contract on supply ship
Posted Jun 25, 2015 06:54:41 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is reportedly disappointed the federal government in only working with a Quebec shipyard on a temporary supply ship contract for Canada’s Navy.
The company tells the Chronicle Herald it submitted its proposal last fall, but Defence Minister Jason Kenney has announced the government will be working with Davie Shipyard.
HMCS Preserver and HMCS Protecteur, two aging supply ships, were taken out of service earlier than expected last year and replacement ships won’t be ready until 2021.
Irving is reportedly upset they weren’t chosen after feeling they had an, ”excellent proposal.”
Military analyst Ken Hansen with Dalhousie University tells News95.7 an emergency solution was necessary after the original supply ships were taken out of service early.
“From their perspective I would see how they would be upset about it, this is going to have to be short reaction time and short delivery time,” Hansen said. “Right now, from the government’s perspective, they’re in the process of ramping up for a very long term, very deliberate planning and delivery process.”
“The two don’t really match very well in terms of what capacity the yard has,” Hansen said.
The Levis, Que shipyard lost out to Irving and Vancouver in massive federal shipbuilding contracts for the Royal Canadian Navy’s six arctic offshore patrol vessels.
Work on those ships finally began in Dartmouth last week.
