Ottawa announced last week that submarine management firm Babcock Canada Inc. was awarded a five-year extension on its contract to refit and maintain Canada's Victoria-class submarines on Vancouver Island.
According to a Government of Canada press release, the value of the contract extension is $531 million. Further extension options are available under the new deal, with a maximum value of $1.5 billion.
All work will be done at the Victoria Shipyards Co., in Esquimalt. Scope of the contract includes refitting the submarines, maintenance work, engineering services and extended docking work periods, which entails a complete overhaul of a submarine's systems.
"The extension of this contract is an important investment in sustaining a key operational capability for our Canadian Armed Forces," said Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Associate Minister of Defence and MLA for Delta-Richmond East.
"This is another important investment in skilled employment in Canada's marine sector, supporting more than 400 high quality, killed jobs across Canada – over 200 in Esquimalt alone."
Canada has four Victoria-class submarines in operation – the HMCS Victoria, HMCS Corner Brook, HMCS Chicoutimi and HMCS Windsor.
