Babcock receives VISSC extension from DND
Babcock has secured a $384m (CAD) three year extension to its existing strategic Victoria In-Service Support Contract (VISSC) from the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) for its fleet of four Victoria Class submarines.
Above:
HMCS Corner Brook:- The Victoria-class long range patrol submarines are the Canadian Navy’s 'special forces'. These stealthy submarines are well armed and capable of patrolling over vast distances, while their flexibility allows them to perform a wide range of unique naval missions. Acquired from the Royal Navy in the 1990s, the Victoria-class submarines can operate in the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic approaches to Canada and significantly extend the Navy’s tactical and strategic capabilities.
Courtesy DND
The original VISSC contract has been further extended to June 2021 and will see a team of more than 400 highly experienced Babcock engineers, project managers and specialist support staff continue to support all four submarines in refit and in service.
VISSC is the largest naval in service support contract in Canada and includes project management, refits and maintenance, capability upgrades, logistics, configuration/safety records and engineering support. The main contract covers core work and tasking with deep maintenance periods – termed Extended Docking Work Periods (EDWPs), included as required by the submarine operating schedules.
Mike Whalley, President Babcock Canada said: “Babcock is a trusted industrial partner to the Royal Canadian Navy and the further extension to the VISSC underlines the belief in our expert delivery and our team’s world class support.
“We continue to invest in Canada’s strategic submarine capability through our skilled people, Canadian supply chain and our processes and this contract extension is a real endorsement of everyone’s hard work and technical outputs. We are delighted to be continuing this relationship with a much valued customer.”
Babcock’s experts design, build, manage, operate and maintain assets vital to the delivery of a wide assortment of mission critical services. Babcock Canada is recognised as a leading naval in -service support specialist with the ability to leverage international best practice from a wide range of similar navies and vessels around the World.
In December 2014, Babcock Canada handed over HMCS Chicoutimi back to the Royal Canadian Navy following a successful EDWP, the first managed by Babcock Canada through the Victoria In-Service Support Contract (VISSC). Chicoutimi has subsequently undertaken a highly successful trans pacific deployment and joint operations with the US and Japanese navies. Babcock is currently undertaking HMCS Corner Brook’s EDWP and is in the planning phase for HMCS Victoria.
Since its inception in 2008 Babcock Canada has continued to grow and has now established facilities in Victoria, British Columbia, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Ottawa, Ontario.