Joint support ship project

1. Identification

• Completed through the National Shipbuilding Strategy

2. Options analysis

• Completed through the National Shipbuilding Strategy

3. Definition

• Revised project approval 1: June 10, 2010
• Revised project approval 2: April 3, 2014
• Revised project approval 3: December 4, 2014
• Revised project approval 4: June 11, 2015
• Revised project approval 5: August 22, 2016
• Revised project approval 6: April 26, 2018

4. Implementation

• Project approval for early block construction: April 26, 2018
• Steel cut for first full ship: 2018
• Project approval implementation: February 27, 2020
• Contract award: June 10, 2020
• Steel cut for second ship: 2022
• Launch of the first ship: 2023
• First delivery: 2027
• Initial operational capability: 2027/2028
• Final delivery: 2027/2028
• Full operational capability: 2028

5. Close-out

• 2029 (under review)

Project updates

March 2026
The second JSS is expected to be 100% structurally consolidated.

September 2025
Delivery of the first JSS was delayed from 2026 to 2027 due to continued challenges associated with outfitting a first-of-class, complex warship. Production of the second ship is benefiting from lessons being learned and remains on track for delivery in 2027/2028.

February 15, 2025
Delivery of the first JSS was delayed by 6 months, from 2025 to 2026, due to the first ship requiring more production effort, and more time than originally anticipated. Production of the second ship has not been affected, and delivery remains expected in 2027/2028.

December 22, 2024
The first JSS was successfully launched at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

December 13, 2024
The RCN held a formal naming ceremony for the first JSS, which is known as the future His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Protecteur.

March 21, 2024
The final sea-to-shore connector system was successfully delivered by Navamar of Montreal, Québec. These systems are stored on both East and West Coasts.

October 2023
The first JSS was 100% consolidated (all major structural steel components in place).

The second JSS had 45 of 115 blocks under construction, with 20 blocks structurally complete.

A ceremonial keel laying for the second JSS, the future HMCS Preserver, was held at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

July 2022
Of the 123 blocks that make up the first JSS, 100 were substantially complete. Outfitting the first JSS was underway, such as installing over seven hundred kilometres of cabling.

May 16, 2022
The first steel was cut for the second JSS.

May 2021
More than 50 of the 123 blocks that make up the first JSS were substantially completed.

October 2020
The bulbous bow for the first JSS, manufactured by Ideal Welders, arrived at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

June 2020
A contract was awarded to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards to progress with full-rate construction.

March 2020
As part of the Design and Production Engineering (D&PE) contract, the critical design review for the JSS was completed. This was the second of three major reviews.

January 2020
A ceremonial keel laying for the first JSS, the future HMCS Protecteur, was held at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

December 2019
More than 33 blocks of the JSS were under construction, with 16 blocks built.

November 2019
Assembly of the first “grand-block” of the first JSS was completed.

August 2019
The contract to acquire 4 sea-to-shore connector systems, and 2 spare propulsion units, was awarded to Navamar Inc. Sea-to-shore connector systems will enable the JSS to transfer cargo and equipment from the ship to the shore in locations with inadequate docking facilities.

February 2019
Construction of the first JSS was rescheduled ahead of the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.

July 2018
The D&PE contract was amended to authorize the full scope of design work that supports the full production and construction of the JSS.

June 2018
Steel was cut for the first JSS, and construction of the early blocks began.

May 2018
Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards was awarded the contract to begin construction of the JSS.

The Government of Canada, in close collaboration with Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards, explored opportunities to improve the project schedule.

May 2017
A Request for Information (RFI) was published, calling for industry feedback on a solution for transporting materials from the JSS at sea to shore.

January 2017
Work under the Design and Production Engineering contract began.

December 16, 2016
As part of the initial design review contract, the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) was completed, which closed-out the initial design contract. PDR was the first of 3 design reviews before construction.

The D&PE contract was awarded to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards to complete the remaining design work and further develop the JSS design to a production-ready state.

February 2016
Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards began work on modifying the ship’s design for the JSS to meet the RCN’s requirements and allow it to be constructed at the Vancouver facility.

December 2015
Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards awarded the Long Lead Items contract to engage suppliers and select the equipment needed to finalize the design and to build the JSS, including items such as the propulsion systems and generators.

September 2014
Canada received additional design information from TKMS Canada.

August 2014
An Initial Design Review contract was awarded to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. The Initial Design Review comprised 3 separate tasks to review the off-the-shelf ship design from TKMS Canada.

October 2013
The construction of the JSS was scheduled to be between the Canadian Coast Guard’s Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessels and Polar Icebreaker Projects.

June 2013
The Government of Canada selected the MOTS option from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) Canada for the design of the JSS. Based on the German Navy’s Berlin Class, this design offered the best value and overall combination of benefits in terms of capability, risk and affordability.

June 2010
The Joint Support Ship project was launched. Based on a revised project approval, 2 design options were developed for comparison. Both a “Military-off-the-Shelf” (MOTS) design and a “new” design were considered, with the intent of selecting a single design to be designed and built by a shipyard partnering with the Government of Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Benefiting Canadian industry

Two new Joint Support Ships (JSS) are being built for the Royal Canadian Navy by Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd was selected to build non-combat vessels for the Government of Canada.

Both ships are being constructed at Seaspan’s shipyard in North Vancouver, British Columbia, using a Canadian supply chain. Where practicable, the shipyard has been engaging with domestic suppliers to attain the necessary equipment to build the JSS as identified in the ship’s design.

Through these engagements, the shipyard has subcontracted services, material, equipment and systems to build the JSS and minimize delays associated with acquiring equipment to comply with the shipyard’s ship construction plan.

The Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy was applied to the Joint Support Ship:

• Initial Design Review
• Long Lead Items
• Design Production and Engineering
• Construction contracts

As of March 2026, the total ITB obligation for the JSS project is currently $4.69 billion, with $3.32 billion completed to date.

Contractor

The link below leads to a website that is not part of the Government of Canada and may be available in English only.

• Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. (You are now leaving the Government of Canada website)

Technical information

The names of the new Joint Support Ships (JSS) will be His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Protecteur and Preserver. The JSS will become the Protecteur class.

Protecteur-class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessels

The JSS will replace the former Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessels that reached the end of their operational lives and were decommissioned.

The purpose of an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessel is to re-supply deployed ships at sea. This capability greatly increases the effectiveness and flexibility of a Navy, as it allows them to remain at sea for longer periods. It can also apply when those assets are engaged, over an extended period of time, in surveillance of Canada’s extensive coastlines and sovereign waters.

The JSS will provide core support capabilities for deployed ships, including:

• provision of fuel, ammunition, spare parts, food, and water, and other supplies
• modern medical and dental care facilities, including an operating room
• repair facilities and expertise to keep helicopters and other equipment functioning, as well as basic self-defence functions

Project costs

• Construction of the 2 JSS, including all material, equipment, labour costs, and financial incentives based on achieving predetermined milestones: $3.1 billion.
• Production engineering work, project management, design, production engineering, project management, and contract management: $1 billion.
• Total project cost for constructing, acquiring, and bringing the JSS into service: $4.1 billion.
• Combined in-service support budget for JSS and AOPS In-Service Support (AJISS): up to $5.2 billion over 32 years.

These costs will be closely managed and monitored over the duration of the JSS project.

Issues/Risks

As the largest warship ever built in Canada, and as the first of its class to be built by a Canadian shipyard, challenges associated with integrating complex systems into a new class of ship are to be expected. Learning to build a new class of ship, establishing new procedures and securing supply chains takes time. Compounding these challenges was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which created a shortage of skilled labour and interruptions to the global supply chain. As a result, delivery for the first JSS is experiencing unexpected delays, and the costs of the project have increased.

While construction of the first JSS continues to bear the bulk of the risks involved with developing the knowledge, skills and processes for building a first of class vessel, lessons learned during the construction of the first ship are being incorporated into the construction of the second ship, whenever possible, and creating efficiencies.