Joint support ships

Artist concept of new joint support ship
Overview
The Joint Support Ship (JSS) project is constructing 2 new auxiliary oil replenishment vessels that will form the future Protecteur class of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). JSS 1 is known as His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Protecteur and JSS 2 will be named HMCS Preserver. These names were chosen as a tribute to the dedication and sacrifices of generations of sailors who served aboard the 2 former Protecteur-class vessels of the same names.
The JSS will be the longest naval ships ever built in Canada, at close to 174 metres in length. These new ships will enable a Naval Task Group to remain at sea for extended periods of time. They will have capabilities to support:
- the re-supply of fuel, ammunition, spare parts and other supplies between ships at sea
- the operation and maintenance of helicopters
- medical and dental facilities
- the transportation and delivery of cargo
- some operations ashore using its onboard facilities
This project is estimated to contribute more than $265 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product, and create or maintain close to 2,410 jobs annually at the shipyards and their Canadian suppliers over the 2015-to-2029 period (directly and indirectly).
Project at a glance
- Shipyard
-
Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. (VSY) (Vancouver, British Columbia)
- Project status
-
Under construction
- Number of vessels to be built
-
2
- Project budget
-
$6.09 billion (taxes included)
- Estimated delivery
-
- JSS 1: 2025
- JSS 2: 2027
Current status
JSS 1 is alongside VSY’s outfitting pier and undergoing final outfitting and integration work. Construction of JSS 2 is advancing.
Progress of the project
- In December 2024, JSS 1 was officially named and launched, which marked the completion of the construction of the ship's hull and the first time it was lowered into the water
- In June 2022, the Government of Canada announced new timelines for the delivery of the JSS
- On June 10, 2020, a performance-based build contract was awarded to VSY for the full construction of 2 JSS
- this build contract includes the finalization of the scope and terms of the project, the construction and delivery of the ships, spare parts, technical data and training
- In early 2019, the Government of Canada made a decision to re-sequence construction of the JSS and the offshore oceanographic science vessel (OOSV) at VSY, in order to build on the momentum underway with the construction of the JSS early blocks
- under the revised sequencing, VSY began construction on JSS 1, followed by construction of the OOSV and then JSS 2
The year ahead
Final outfitting of JSS 1 will take place, leading to harbour trials and sea trials. Construction of JSS 2 will continue, with the majority of structural consolidation expected by the end of 2025.
News
Multimedia: Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards
- Updates on the progress of the joint support ship project: July 2018 to present
- Timelapse video of the joint support ship block 435 being moved: A ship build is typically broken down into individual block units, which are then joined, most often in groups of 4, to form grand blocks.
- watch as, with millimetre precision, block 435 of joint support ship 1 is moved into position (June 2020)
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