S
SHIPBUILDING
by Marcello Sukhdeo
30 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com
A
ny navy, especially one that is
responsible to defend a large
maritime nation like Canada,
needs supply ships. Without
these ships, a navy's role
away from home is greatly restricted.
These vessels, which are often referred to
as Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR)
ships, play an important role in providing
support and replenishment to a nation's
navy. From refueling frigates and destroy-
ers, replenishing a fleet with food, spares,
and ammunition, to delivering medical
care for sailors, and even providing hu-
manitarian relief, an AOR ship provides
many multifunctioning roles.
Without AOR ships, a navy's operation
is severely handicapped. It's capability to
operate at great distances away from land
is reduced. It is a situation that no major
navy in the world wants to be in, but Can-
ada found herself in this position in 2014.
No AOR Capability
That year, Canada's AOR capability suf-
fered a harsh blow. The HMCS Pro-
tecteur, one of the last two supply ships
in operation, which was expected to be in
service until 2017, was decommissioned
due to a fire. The other, HMCS Pre-
server, which was supposed to continue
its operation into 2016, was put out of
commission because of high levels of cor-
rosion that were discovered through an
engineering survey. With the Protecteur-
class slated to be replaced with the new
Queenston-class auxiliary vessels through
the National Shipbuilding Strategy in the
Over three years ago,
Canada found herself
in a position without an
AOR ship. As a stop-gap
measure, Canada
decided to proceed with
the fast-track option
of leasing a vessel until
the new naval supply
ships become available.
Canada's next AOR ship:
the MV Asterix
