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#1 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 10:27 PM

The day is nearly over and no one has posted today's front page story yet? What's up with that? :)

While I've been fretting over Prince Rupert & Vancouver cargo ports getting all this attention (i.e. $$) for upgrades to take advantage of Asia/ Pacific container traffic (with Victoria on the outside looking in), some interesting developments must have been taking shape behind the scenes: [url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=83108a3c-b4b1-4d95-b123-54aafd35adee&k=10764:f1c8d]Shipyards to get $1.45-billion deal[/url:f1c8d], according to Kim Westad. Is this as big a deal ("unbelievable") as the article suggests, or just another blip on the harbour?

Shipyards to get $1.45-billion deal
Contract to work on military subs 'unbelievable,' company says

Kim Westad
Times Colonist; with files from The Canadian Press

Friday, January 12, 2007

A $1.45-billion contract to maintain Canada's four submarines at Victoria Shipyards could provide decades of work for hundreds of new employees and make Victoria a key training centre for the industry.

"It's absolutely unbelievable," Victoria Shipyards vice-president Malcolm Barker said last night. "It's going to take the Canadian shipbuilding industry to a whole new level. I think it's the most exciting time I've seen in shipbuilding."

Although the contract has not officially been awarded, a spokesman for the federal government said yesterday that Canadian Submarine Management Group, a consortium that includes Victoria Shipyards, has been selected to do the work on the fleet of four troubled Victoria-class submarines.

According to CSMG's bid, the vessels will be maintained at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt. Another company named in the consortium is Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd., which currently looks after British subs, and is known worldwide as a leader in submarines, Barker said.

Canada bought the four mothballed diesel-electric submarines from Britain in 1998 for about $900 million, but the fleet has been plagued by problems from the outset.

The federal government first put out a tender in the fall of 2005 for long-term in-service support for the subs. CSMG was told Wednesday it was the only consortium negotiating, and the two other bidders, one from Halifax and the other from Marystown, N.L., were told they will not get the job.

It's unusual for the government to announce the consortium that will be doing the work before announcing the contract, said Mario Baril, a spokesman for Public Works and Government Services Canada. But because the process has taken so long, Public Works wanted the unsuccessful consortiums to be able to look for other projects.

The contract, worth up to $1.45 billion, could mean 15 years of steady work for 150 employees at Victoria Shipyards, and a rebirth of an industry for generations to come. Currently, the shipyards employ about 550 people.

Working on submarines takes a great deal of expertise, Barker said. Devonport Royal Dockyard has that expertise, and would provide on-site training and apprenticeship programs for many of the jobs.

"It's a tremendous opportunity. They have a world-class reputation in repairing submarines and they will be on site assisting in the transfer of technology and training of Canadian workers. That will give us a whole new level of engineering and quality in our workforce."

The subs are stationed on the east and west coasts, and would be rotated into refit. Actual work on the subs wouldn't likely begin until 2009, after the planning and building of facilities at Victoria Shipyards is complete.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007


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#2 Mike K.

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 10:30 PM

Brilliant!

Very good news, indeed!

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#3 Holden West

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 10:31 PM

This is great! It will make Victoria a world leader in--uh, in repairing our subs I guess.
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#4 Mike K.

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 10:34 PM

Hey, at least hotels will benefit when experienced mechanics jetset from Britain to help us make some sense of those wonky British engines :smt102

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#5 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 10:42 PM

It's crazy, though, when you think about it, that we (taxpayers) are proposing to spend another $1.45b, plus 15 years of labour, on 4 submarines that already cost $900m, even though they weren't worth it to start with because they were junk that the British somehow managed to palm off on us (or was that another Chretien special?).... Unless the article is leaving stuff out, all I'm reading about is those 4 subs: it'll all revolve around them! Ouch... That's an expensive "fleet"...
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#6 renthefinn

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Posted 13 January 2007 - 01:43 AM

Look's like my brother's gonna have steady employment down there for a while!

#7 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 23 January 2007 - 05:02 PM

Forgive this totally fluff post, but I have to put this somewhere: see this entry on [url=http://thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/2007/01/huge-floating-crane-lifts-bridges-and.html:179c3]Dark Roasted Blend[/url:179c3] (a blog subtitled "A Thrilling Wonder Publication") for a photo-essay on giant cranes (c'mon, I know you guys like cranes -- you're always counting them!). These giant cranes can lift submarines (which is why I'm putting this in the shipyards thread), and even bridges. They are huge.

On another totally unrelated note, this blog also has an entry on [url=http://thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/2007/01/wind-power-in-stormy-waters.html:179c3]wind turbine farms[/url:179c3] that make me think these things are pretty scary. There's a nice photo series of one wreck, described as follows: "One of the turbines failed in spectacular fashion following a lightning strike, the blades disintegrated, hurling debris at speeds approaching 200 mph." OMG. :shock:

Ok, I promise not to do this again (waste bandwidth with trivia), but I just couldn't resist the giant crane. If it weren't for the photos, I wouldn't believe it possible to build monsters like that.... :)
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#8 G-Man

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Posted 23 January 2007 - 05:39 PM

Its ok if its cool and man that stuff is cool!

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#9 dirtydeeds

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Posted 20 October 2011 - 06:13 PM

Great news for Shipyard workers and local businesses indeed!


http://www.vancouver...5692/story.html

#10 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 October 2011 - 07:20 PM

Great news for Shipyard workers and local businesses indeed!


http://www.vancouver...5692/story.html


I guess it is. But it is not like it is some offshore contract. It's our taxpayer dollars being spent somewhat locally. $35B of our own money. Every Canadian man, woman and child is giving $1166 directly towards this project. Taken from us, given to the 15,000 workers. Not saying it isn't needed, but it's not new money, it's money we are all gonna have to give to them.
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#11 gumgum

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Posted 20 October 2011 - 07:33 PM

Well where else are we supposed to get money from the miliary? The military is and should remain government run. You allow private industry to control your nation's miliary then you have problems.

#12 spanky123

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Posted 20 October 2011 - 07:38 PM

I guess it is. But it is not like it is some offshore contract. It's our taxpayer dollars being spent somewhat locally. $35B of our own money. Every Canadian man, woman and child is giving $1166 directly towards this project. Taken from us, given to the 15,000 workers. Not saying it isn't needed, but it's not new money, it's money we are all gonna have to give to them.


If the past is any guage then it is highly unlikely that even close to $35B will ever be spent. The Government is nbotoriouss for commencing projects like then and then backing out or reducing the scale.

#13 dirtydeeds

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Posted 21 October 2011 - 03:11 PM

Every Canadian man, woman and child is giving $1166 directly towards this project. Taken from us, given to the 15,000 workers. Not saying it isn't needed, but it's not new money, it's money we are all gonna have to give to them.


The alternative being that the $1166 goes to Germany or China? I would rather have it in our economy not theirs and a portion of it in BC all the better! The Canadian government is supporting Canadian shipyards and the Canadian economy unlike Mr Hahn, but that is a discussion for another thread :)

#14 Maximilian

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Posted 24 September 2012 - 09:03 PM

Look's like my brother's gonna have steady employment down there for a while!


Sorry for the OT, just saw the post and i was wondering if you can tell me how things are going at the victoria shipyards if the money awarded came true and if things are definitely moving! thanks in advance!

#15 Bingo

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Posted 25 September 2012 - 06:21 AM

Sorry for the OT, just saw the post and i was wondering if you can tell me how things are going at the victoria shipyards if the money awarded came true and if things are definitely moving! thanks in advance!


I know someone who was hired just over a year ago with the promise of years of work. He and others are being laid off in December.

#16 renthefinn

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Posted 25 September 2012 - 06:03 PM

Sorry for the OT, just saw the post and i was wondering if you can tell me how things are going at the victoria shipyards if the money awarded came true and if things are definitely moving! thanks in advance!



My brother is still fully employed with the Submarine project, and my sister's husband works there on other projects, they are still fully employed, but I have not heard yet of any of the newest announced federal shipbuilding projects are getting off the ground.

#17 Sparky

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Posted 25 September 2012 - 06:36 PM

^^^ Welcome to vibrantvictoria Maximilian.

#18 Maximilian

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Posted 25 September 2012 - 09:03 PM

My brother is still fully employed with the Submarine project, and my sister's husband works there on other projects, they are still fully employed, but I have not heard yet of any of the newest announced federal shipbuilding projects are getting off the ground.


Thanks!!

#19 Maximilian

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Posted 25 September 2012 - 09:04 PM

^^^ Welcome to vibrantvictoria Maximilian.

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