TKMS and Seaspan Shipyards team up on Canadian Patrol Submarine Project

January 30, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

German shipbuilding giant TKMS and Seaspan, Canada’s largest shipbuilding, design, and repair company, have signed a teaming agreement to collaborate on the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).

This agreement is the latest in a string of teaming agreements signed by TKMS with Canadian industry partners to reinforce the company’s commitment to support Canadian jobs, growth, and sovereignty.

Canada has identified a critical priority for the CPSP project to establish a sovereign sustainment capability for the future submarines on both the west and east coasts of Canada. This capability integrates the Royal Canadian Navy, the Maritime Equipment Program, the Fleet Maintenance Facilities and Canadian Industry.

Under the agreement, TKMS and Seaspan intend to work together as an integrated team with Canada to develop and deliver capabilities that ensure effective sustainment and lifecycle support of future submarine platforms in Canada, with an emphasis on maintaining operational readiness and supporting the Royal Canadian Navy’s requirements.

The collaboration is intended to leverage Seaspan’s extensive naval and submarine in-service support expertise, workforce and existing Canadian submarine supply chain, together with TKMS’s submarine engineering and global sustainment experience.

Specifically, the partners aim to establish a comprehensive approach to through-life support that benefits the CPSP and helps grow Canada’s domestic naval sustainment enterprise. The agreement also contemplates opportunities for export support, drawing upon TKMS’s broad international customer base, it was highlighted.

“We are pleased to join forces with Seaspan, a company with deep experience in ship sustainment and a strong Canadian industrial footprint,” said Thomas Keupp, Chief Sales Officer at TKMS.

“This teaming agreement reflects our shared commitment to long-term support excellence and aligns with the objectives of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, ensuring that Canadian naval platforms are supported by robust, reliable, and sovereign sustainment capabilities throughout their life cycle.”

“The CPSP is one of the highest priorities for the long-term defence and security of Canada’s sovereignty,” said John McCarthy, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards.

“As the only shipyard in Canada with submarine maintenance expertise, Seaspan is well-positioned to deliver on the decades-long sustainment of this new fleet and to contribute meaningfully to this country’s maritime defence industrial base.”

“We are excited to partner with TKMS on this critical capability for Canada and we look forward to working closely with their team and the Royal Canadian Navy, the Maritime Equipment Program and the Fleet Maintenance Facilities to build a truly Canadian submarine sustainment program.”

Earlier this month, TKMS joined forces with Canadian technology company focused on artificial intelligence Cohere to jointly explore the integration of advanced AI technologies into the CPSP.

TKMS partners with AI firm on Canadian Patrol Submarine Project

Equipment & technology

Commenting to Naval Today earlier on, TKMS outlined how the program would strengthen Canada’s control over submarine operations while creating meaningful opportunities for domestic industry across the full lifecycle of the future submarine fleet.

“The program will establish the framework for Canada’s industrial control, long-term In-service Support, and complete sovereignty. This includes the development of capabilities for lifetime support and overhaul in Canada, as well as Canada-led development and integration of selected systems. Should a contract be signed, the submarines would be built in Germany, with the involvement of Canadian industry. However, we are able to respond flexible and quickly to all requirements of the Canadian government, also with regard to more local production,” TKMS stated.

The German shipbuilder also said the program is designed to give Canadian SMEs and domestic companies a meaningful role in the future 212CD supply chain. The company pointed to recent teaming agreements aimed at supporting industrial participation and advanced technology integration under the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, emphasizing that “there is more to come in the coming weeks“.

To remind, the Canadian Government announced in April 2025 that it identified TKMS as a qualified supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. The CPSP was established in 2021 to inform timely governmental decision-making about a potential replacement class of submarines and avoid any gap in Canadian submarine capabilities.

The Victoria-class submarines currently in use by the Royal Canadian Navy were purchased from the Royal Navy in 1998. The first three Victoria-class submarines were accepted into service in the Royal Canadian Navy between 2000 and 2003. The fourth submarine suffered a fire in transit to Canada in 2004, which delayed its acceptance into Royal Canadian Navy service until 2015.

The Royal Canadian Navy’s current submarine fleet will remain operational into the mid-to-late 2030s.

The intention of the project is to acquire up to twelve submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.