TMC Compressors selected for Canadian Coast Guard AOPS variants
Written by Nick Blenkey
Screenshot from video/Irving Shipbuilding
TMC Compressors (TMC) has been contracted by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. to deliver the marine compressed air system for the two newbuild Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) that the shipbuilder is constructing for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Irving has already delivered five AOPS to the Royal Canadian Navy, with one soon to follow, and has been contracted to build two AOPS Coast Guard variants. The first of these, AOPS 7, is currently under construction in the assembly hall at the company’s Halifax, Nova Scotia, shipyard where AOPS 8 began construction July 2024.
Under the contract from Irving, Norway-headquartered TMC will provide a complete marine compressed air system, including compressors for service and control air, for both Canadian Coast Guard AOPS. TMC has not disclosed the value of its contract.
“We are aware that the Canadian and Norwegian coast guards last year entered into a cooperation agreement to advance marine safety and environmental protection,” says Christian Ness, CEO of TMC. “As a Norway-based supplier, we are proud to support both Irving Shipbuilding and indirectly the Canadian Coast Guard, and to contribute towards further enhancing Norwegian-Canadian relations.”
TMC’s compressors have earned a reputation for their operational reliability and low energy consumption and are designed so that crews can maintain the compressors themselves.
The Canadian Coast Guard’s AOPS will be tasked with a wide range of missions. Both ships will operate as the Canadian Coast Guard’s primary platform with increased capabilities to support fisheries enforcement on Canada’s east coast, support search and rescue and icebreaking operations, while strengthening Canada’s presence in the Arctic.
“Our compressors are designed for marine and offshore use only,” says Hans Petter Tanum, TMC’s director of sales and business development. “They are not land-based compressors that have since been marinized. This is an important distinction that becomes increasingly important the further offshore and longer period of time a vessel it as sea — as will be the case for these two AOPS.”
TMC will manufacture the equipment in Europe and transport it to Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax yard
