South Korea’s latest attempt to become Canada’s next submarine builder has surfaced in Victoria, showing what could develop if the country is selected as the winning bidder.
The two warships, originating from South Korea’s Jinhae Naval Base, arrived after a two-month journey with submarines ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho and ROKS Daejeon both docking on Saturday.
Rear Adm. David Patchell, commander of Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, said he was “extremely grateful” to the South Koreans who made it to Victoria.
“Excitement for the Royal Canadian Navy that we are building,” he said. “We’re going to buy new submarines. We’re building new destroyers, new supply ships… We’re building the navy that Canada needs to defend our three seas.”
Canada has received two contract bids to build new submarines: one from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, which is building the two vessels in Victoria.
Over the past few months, Hanwha ads promoting the KSS-III submarine have been popping up everywhere including in YouTube ads, on billboards and other promotional materials as the company tries to make a name for itself in Ottawa.
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The South Korean company also said it would build its military vehicles in Canada through partnerships with the domestic automotive sector, including mobile howitzers, rocket launch systems and infantry vehicles. But that depends on their success as bidders.
“As you know, there is a case for investment being requested by the Canadian government,” said Glenn Copeland, CEO of Hanwha Canada. “But certainly, what we heard clearly is to deliver the first four submarines as quickly as possible without any modifications to the batch as well.”
The KSS-III arriving in Victoria is the type that will be delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy, with an arrival date of 2032.
Canada hopes to get 12 submarines, Patchell said, which he said would make the country “a submarine nation.”
TKMS is not commenting on aspects of the offer while the government is conducting its assessment, TKMS spokesman Nils Beyer said in April, but said the strength of the overall strategy is the “depth of government-backed engagement” that supports it.
Beyer said this includes targeted investment mechanisms, strategic infrastructure support and a financial framework that enables long-term implementation.
The German manufacturer’s bid was supported by the German and Norwegian governments, which sold it to Canadian officials as a partnership with NATO allies.
The legacy sub-maker is also seeking to incorporate Canadian companies into its supply chain and prospective offerings. Beyer pointed out that TKMS has a partnership with Bombardier and Lockheed Martin Canada.
The two companies are expected to make a decision in June, which would pave the way for deliveries in 2032.
“I needed it yesterday,” Patchell said. “Canada needs a navy. We are the greatest maritime nation, the longest coastline in the world, 244,000 kilometers stretching across three oceans. So we need a navy, we’ve always needed a navy, and we’ve always needed submarines.”
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