Vanguard Magazine

W hen the then-minister for Public Works and Gov- ernment Services Rona Ambrose announced back in 2010 that the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) "will bring predictability to fed- eral ship procurement and eliminate cycles of boom and bust, providing benefits to the entire marine industry," it was assumed the policy would offer more federal ship procure- ment opportunities to more Canadian manufacturers. Although there are several global conglomerates with Cana- dian offices, such as BAE, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, and L3, for example, supplying equipment to the Joint Support Ship (JSS) and the Canadian Surface Combatant project (CSC), no Canadian company has been selected to supply critical propulsion equipment to these vessels. The prime contractors for delivering Canada's NSS – Irving Shipbuilding in the case of the CSC and Seaspan for the JSS proj- ect – granted propulsion system contracts to European engine builders, and are doling out contracts to preferred suppliers rather than offering opportunities to established Canadian companies. Of note, in the case of the CSC project, the decision to stay with a European propulsion system was by direction of the Government of Canada. Of course, Canada does not currently have a domestic marine engine builder and to change out a propulsion package from the original design can cause expensive design changes. Nevertheless, under the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy (ITB) – a scheme introduced in 2014 – there are Canadian firms with the capability to deliver propulsion train components and those com- panies awarded defence contracts should be encouraged "to do business in Canada" equal to the value of their contracts. "I think this is a big issue," says Robert Dimitrieff, President, Patriot Forge Co. "These ships, based on existing designs, are simply being assembled in Canada with much of the most criti- cal equipment and systems, particularly propulsion and related equipment, brought in from overseas, despite there being domes- tic capability for the projects. How this all fits in with the National Shipbuilding Strategy I don't know." Patriot is the only forging company in Canada that can actu- ally produce complete forged and finish machined solutions for a ship's shaft line system. The company also supplies artillery com- ponents for 120mm, and 155mm guns as well as mortar tubes for the US Army. "But the Canadian government regularly and consistently buys this equipment from overseas suppliers which ensures we will never be in the Canadian supply chain," says Dim- itrieff. "I have no idea why that is. It doesn't make any sense at all to www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 29 shiPbuilding By PAtRik WheAteR Patriot Forge facilities The Thomson-Gordon Group (Thordon Bearings) facility in Burlington Dominis Engineering Ltd., Canada's leading propeller manufacturer canada's domestic maritime industry? Is the National Shipbuilding Strategy Failing to Sufficiently Support

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