Canadian frigate Montreal concludes year-long upgrade

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal has completed her 53-week docking period at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax shipyard.

HMCS Montreal. Photo: Irving Shipbuilding

Over the past 12 months, the frigate received preventive and corrective maintenance, ship system upgrades including new diesel generators and chillers to name a few, as well as installation of new equipment providing enhanced combat capabilities.

The systems upgrades included an improved RAMSES electronic attack system that protects the modernized Halifax-class frigates against radio frequency guided missiles and upgraded MASS decoy systems.

“Congratulations on a job well done to our team of shipbuilders on a very successful docking work period for HMCS Montreal,” said Irving Shipbuilding president Kevin McCoy.

HMCS Charlottetown, Montreal’s sister ship, has already arrived at the shipyard for her maintenance period.

Since 2010, all seven of the navy’s east coast Halifax-class frigates– Halifax, Fredericton, Montreal, Charlottetown, St. John’s, Ville de Quebec, and Toronto – have been consecutively modernized and maintained at Halifax Shipyard.

In November 2018, the Canadian government made the decision to split work on the 12-ship class between three different shipyards and has given a share of the C$7 billion frigate upkeep deal to Chantier Davie and Seaspan Victoria Shipyards Limited. They received first contracts in July 2019.