At the recent CANSEC 2023 event, Vard Marine Inc. (VARD), a subsidiary of Fincantieri, unveiled VIGILANCE, their cutting-edge solution to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV). As part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) under Pillar Two, VIGILANCE promises to deliver a highly versatile and lightweight military asset capable of global deployment. Collaborating with Thales Canada, Ontario Shipyards, SH Defence, and Fincantieri, this new vessel can perform all the roles of the current MCDV while also taking on additional naval warfare duties beyond the capabilities of both the MCDV and the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV).
The partnership aims to meet the RCN’s future Multi-Mission Corvette program requirements by balancing capability and cost, along with the life-cycle cost benefits that VARD’s naval designs are known for. Team Vigilance is working diligently to bring together a coalition of Canadian companies to provide essential services and equipment, ensuring that VIGILANCE is designed, built, and equipped domestically. To support this objective, Team Vigilance introduced their Preferred Suppliers Program at DEFSEC 2023 in Halifax last October.
SSI Named Preferred Supplier at Mari-Tech 2024
In May, during the Mari-Tech 2024 event in St. John’s, NL, Vard Marine and Ontario Shipyards announced the selection of SSI, a global leader in shipbuilding software solutions, as a preferred supplier for Team Vigilance. This partnership will utilize SSI’s advanced digital shipbuilding platforms to bolster the design, engineering, and production capabilities of Team Vigilance, furthering SSI’s commitment to digital transformation within Canadian shipbuilding.
David Males, Director of Business Development for SSI, stated, “At SSI, we are thrilled to join Team Vigilance as a Preferred Supplier. Our commitment over the past 34 years has been to drive forward the digital transformation in shipbuilding, and this announcement is an extension of that. We are proud to support Canadian shipbuilding through our innovative technologies and comprehensive expertise working with defense designers and builders. Joining Team Vigilance further cements our role as a key player in enhancing Canada’s naval capabilities.”
Joining Team Vigilance as a Preferred Supplier allows SSI to leverage its extensive experience in shipbuilding technology and digital transformation for military ship designers and builders. This collaboration underscores SSI’s significant role in enhancing Canada’s sovereign naval capabilities.
Alicia Nash, Vice President of Operations at Ontario Shipyards, said, “As we work towards the revitalization of the shipbuilding industry in Ontario, a critical component will be the adoption and implementation of cutting-edge technology in the shipbuilding process. With the addition of SSI to Team Vigilance, we ensure that we have a strong foundation of technological expertise, which will allow us to successfully deliver the future Multi-Mission Corvette for the Royal Canadian Navy.”
With over 30 years of experience in digital shipbuilding transformation, SSI offers specialized software, services, and expertise tailored to the unique needs of shipbuilders. SSI’s flagship products, ShipConstructor and ShipbuildingPLM, form the core of their Digital Shipbuilding Platform. This comprehensive, open architecture solution integrates smoothly with other systems, providing a unified source of truth for shipbuilding project information throughout the lifecycle.
By adopting SSI’s solution, Team Vigilance partners and Preferred Suppliers will gain unified access to a digital twin for the entire Vigilance class and individual vessels from design and construction to service. This will also provide the RCN and their chosen in-service support partners with the digital thread necessary for maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities, ensuring a modern and complete overview of their vessels, both as-built and as-maintained.
Derek Buxton, Vice President Business Development, Vard Marine Inc., said, “The SSI software suite offers a complete solution for design, engineering and construction. It is the only home-grown Canadian solution of its type and SSI has achieved huge export success, being for the design, construction, and sustainment of defense projects across North America and in shipyards around the globe. Being true to our core motivating principle that VIGILANCE will be designed, built and equipped in Canada, we are very pleased to announce that the SSI solution will be deployed at Ontario Shipyards if we are selected to deliver the Vigilance Class to the Royal Canadian Navy.”
This strategic partnership signifies a pivotal step in the digital transformation of Canadian shipbuilding, bringing advanced technological solutions to the forefront of naval defense.