Canada’s 12 Halifax-class frigates continue their planned modernization with a $15 million contract awarded to Bronswerk Marine Inc. of Brossard, Quebec, for the replacement of the ships’ chilled-water systems.
The Halifax-class frigates are a key fleet, and can deploy anywhere in the world, said The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of National Defence. These new chilled-water systems will ensure that the frigates will continue serving as the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy, as it defends Canada and North America, aids citizens in distress, assists in natural disaster-recovery, and contributes to international peace and stability.
The contract will directly create or sustain jobs in the Brossard area. The contract will also have indirect benefits for the workforce, as approximately 85 per cent of the chilled-water systems’ content and technology are Canadian-made.
This contract covers the purchase of 50 chilled-water plants and pumps, with four units allocated to each frigate, and one training unit for sailors on each coast. Chilled-water systems provide the cooling capacity needed to operate the array of systems onboard the frigates.
The units will be delivered between 2014 and 2018, well before Canada’s Federal Halocarbon Regulations bring into force a ban in 2020 on R22 coolant, which is used in the existing systems on the Halifax-class fleet. The new chilled-water systems will use a coolant compliant with these regulations.
The chilled-water system replacement is a sub-project under the Halifax-class Modernization/Frigate Life Extension project. This $3.1-billion project includes a planned mid-life modernization, including a new command and control system, new radar capability, a new electronic warfare system, and upgraded communications and missiles, as well as a mid-life refit. The refits are scheduled to continue until approximately 2018. [mappress] Press Release, August 22, 2013