Last fall, during presentations to audiences in Ottawa, Halifax and Toronto, Patrick Boissier, chairman & CEO of DCNS, announced the intention to establish a long-term strategic partnership with Canada, including the creation of a naval systems integration centre.
Last month, the French company took the first step by incorporating a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary. DCNS Technologies Canada, headquartered in Ottawa, will lead the design of a Canadian version of the FREMM frigate as the government continues to explore options for the Canadian Surface Combatant.
DCNS has been monitoring the government’s $35 billion National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy and says the partnership it proposes “will support the most formidable naval defence program ever undertaken in Canada. In line with the country’s new Defence Procurement Strategy, the Canadian shipbuilding and marine industry will benefit directly from the CSC program.”
Though the primary focus of DCNS Technologies Canada is on strengthen long-term ties with the defence sector, there are also commercial opportunities such as marine renewable energy. In a press release, DCNS described work already underway with the province of Nova Scotia to build a next-generation tidal energy project in the Bay of Fundy and a 2013 collaboration agreement with Dalhousie University in Halifax on structural dynamics in the marine environment.