Kongsberg consortium kicks off Canadian vessel design contract

A consortium led by Kongsberg has secured a Canadian federal contract to design a new class of mid-shore multi-mission vessels (MSMMV) for the Canadian Coast Guard, marking the next step in a naval concept already being developed in parallel in Norway.

The contract was awarded in mid-March to Kongsberg Vanguard LP, comprising Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norwegian ship designer Salt Ship Design and Canada-based Adaptive Marine Solutions. 

The vessels are intended to support missions including marine science, hydrographic surveys, search and rescue and icebreaking.

The project is part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy and formally initiates the design phase of the programme.

The Canadian contract builds on the same Vanguard concept that Kongsberg and Salt Ship Design are advancing in Norway, where they have been selected to develop a standardised vessel class for up to 28 naval units.

That programme, which is expected to form the basis for a major shipbuilding tender, aims to consolidate multiple vessel types into a shared platform across the navy and coast guard.

- What makes these vessels, and particularly Vanguard, distinct is that the vessel itself is not the most important element. It is what you add in terms of unmanned systems and associated capabilities, said Kyrre Lohne in a previous interview with Defence Nordic.

Although limited to design, the Canadian contract represents an early phase that can shape later industrial participation.

- Once production is underway, it is extremely difficult to become a supplier, said Kyrre Lohne in the interview.

Kongsberg has previously indicated that its Norwegian Vanguard bid could involve up to 1,200 subcontractors, pointing to the potential scale of the industrial footprint.