OSI to design AOPS integrated bridge and nav system

Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship

FEBRUARY 21, 2014 — OSI Maritime Systems Ltd. (OSI), Burnaby, BC, has been selected by Lockheed Martin Canada to support the design activity of the bridge and navigation capabilities for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) new class of Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS).

Under an initial contract, OSI will design the Integrated Bridge and Navigation System for the new vessels.

Lockheed Martin Canada is a Tier 1 supplier for the AOPS project to prime contractor Irving Shipbuilding which is building the ships as part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).

“We are very pleased to have been selected for this very important Royal Canadian Navy project,” said Ken Kirkpatrick, President and Chief Executive Officer OSI Maritime Systems Ltd. “The RCN and AOPS crews will benefit tremendously from our highly automated and user-friendly bridge and navigation systems, which have been operationally successful in navies around the globe.”

“The Integrate Bridge and Navigation System is critical to the operation of AOPS, allowing safe navigation and enhanced situational awareness in the rugged environment of Canada’s far northern waters to its busy coastal regions,” said Mr. Kirkpatrick. “This is a wonderful addition to the numerous Canadian programs supported by OSI, which demonstrate our full range of logistics, services, manufacturing and technological expertise. We intend to engage more Canadian suppliers to support this important RCN program.”

The design work will be completed entirely in Canada at OSI’s Burnaby facility.

The AOPS project will provide Canadian Forces with six to eight naval ice-capable offshore patrol ships able to assert and enforce sovereignty in Canada’s waters where and when necessary, including the Arctic.

Irving Shipbuilding is scheduled to deliver the first ship in 2018. Irving Shipbuilding was selected as Canada’s Combatant Shipbuilder under the merit-based National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) and is in the early stages of a 30-year military shipbuilding program. The company is currently working on Tasks 1, 2, 3 and 7 of the Definition Contract for the first set of vessels, the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS), signed in March 2013.