Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/699741
"This is noT An unsoliciTeD ProPosAl." — Kevin McCoy The federal government has not put out a tender for such a vessel, but at the recently concluded Cansec 2016 defence industry conference in Ottawa, announced it is will- ing to lease to the government the planned MSS, as well as the crew that will run the vessel for approximately $300 million for five years. The price will include a crew of 37, as well as maintenance for the vessel. "This is not an unsolicited proposal," Kevin McCoy, president of Irving, ex- plained to Vanguard during a press brief- ing at the conference. "…this is in the con- text of the government's call for input for the defence policy review…they are asking what type of mission the military should respond to, what type of equipment they should get." McCoy was referring to the govern- ment's earlier invitation to the public to give the government their opinions and suggestions regarding the review of Can- 26 JUNE/JULY 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com s support SHIPS ada's defence policy, which is based on the Canada First Defence Strategy introduced in 2008. The last time a revamp of the magnitude the Liberals are planning was done was in 1994. Irving is currently building six vessels for the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) project under a $2.3 billion contract with the government. roll-on/roll-off The Irving executive said his company will source the vessel from a partner, but is not in a position to reveal who that partner is. He described the vessel as a "modern, five-year-old" converted in Halifax. It is powered by a twin screw, twin engine with roll-on/roll-off capability. "DART is a very capable and success- ful in responding to emergency situations overseas," McCoy said referring to the Di- saster Assistance Response Team, a multi- disciplinary military organization de- signed to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world in response to situations rang- ing from natural disasters to complex hu- manitarian emergencies. "But DART does not have a maritime component." Most natural disasters occur near coastal areas, and it also easier to transport large quantities of supplies and equipment via sea vessels. "The MSS can be loaded and sent off to any disaster area in the world within 48 hours," said McCoy. "…I believe Canada