Heddle Shipyards in St. Catharines announced today it is part of the Team Vigilance partner companies, including Vard Marine Inc, Thales Canada, SH Defense, and Fincantieri, and are proud to launch the Vigilance Class Offshore Patrol Vessel. Intended to satisfy projected future demands under the second pillar of the Government of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Vigilance Class vessels will replace the Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels.
Collectively, the Team Vigilance partner companies bring impressive capabilities and experience to bear in naval ship design, Canadian and global shipbuilding, the integration of combat and offboard systems, modular payload systems, and life-cycle solutions. As a partner company, Heddle Shipyards will leverage Team Vigilance's broad experience to realize the underutilized capacity at its Ontario Shipyards to meet the future needs of the Royal Canadian Navy.
Established in 1987, Heddle Shipyards is a proudly Canadian-owned company and the fastest-growing Canadian Shipyard on the Great Lake – the fourth maritime region in Canada. As a member of Team Vigilance, Heddle will harness its vast underutilized shipyard capacity as well as the industrial might of Southern Ontario's industrial capacity to provide an Ontario-Made solution for Canada. Designed, built and equipped in Canada, Vigilance will be the cornerstone of the second pillar of Canada's National Shipbuilding strategy and support thousands of jobs in Ontario Shipyards and across Canada for decades to come.
Cost-effective and forward-looking, the Vigilance Class will fulfil critical operational needs through a combination of organic and modular capabilities, enabling core naval missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, subsea infrastructure protection, mine countermeasures, resource conservation, and maritime interdiction operations. The Vigilance Class will provide the sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve with the modern tools they need to protect Canada's vital interests at home and abroad.
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