Canadian shipbuilder Chantier Davie on Thursday unveiled the Project Resolve auxiliary oiler replenishment ship ‘Asterix’.
Asterix is the first large naval ship to be built in Canada in over 20 years, according to the shipbuilder.
Project Resolve, as the undertaking was dubbed, consists of converting a containership, former MV Asterix which arrived in Lévis in October 2015, into an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) ship in order to support the operations of the Royal Canadian Navy.
This project was initiated after a 2008 plan to replace Canadian aging oilers with a Joint Support Ship plan failed while the Queenston-class multi-role vessels are not expected to join the Navy before 2020-2021.
Davie’s 1,369 staff together with over 900 Canadian suppliers spent just under 2 years delivering the ship. The ship was expected to start operations this summer but the shipbuilder says it will enter into service with the Royal Canadian Navy by the end of this year.
The Asterix is a 182.5 meters long vessel capable of transporting up to 7000 tonnes of fuel at speeds of up to 25 knots.
It features two cranes allowing the loading and unloading of containers which are accessible at sea, a helicopter deck, two hangars for helicopters, a hospital able to accommodate 60 patients and kitchens able to feed 1,000 people.
The ship has been privately financed by Davie and will be leased to the Canadian government while the Federal Fleet Services, a Davie sister company, will operate the ship with a mixed crew of merchant seafarers and Royal Canadian Navy personnel.
Today, CCPO1 and I had the privilege to be at the unveiling of #MVASTERIX , the RCN's new interim supply ship. BZ! #FutureFleet #Impressed pic.twitter.com/G68ksXHV8x
— VAdm/Vam Ron Lloyd (@Comd_RCN) July 20, 2017