South Korea’s latest effort to be the builder of Canada’s next submarines surfaced in Victoria, showcasing what could develop if the country is chosen because the successful bid.
Two warships, originally from South Korea’s Jinhae Naval Base, arrived after a two-month journey with the ROKS Dosan Ahn Changhosubmarine and ROKS Daejeon each making port on Saturday.
Rear Adm. David Patchell, commander of Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, said he was “incredibly thankful” the South Koreans made their option to Victoria.
“It’s excitement in regards to the Royal Canadian Navy that we’re constructing,” he said. “We’re about to buy brand recent submarines. We’re constructing recent destroyers, recent supply ships …We’re constructing the navy Canada must defend all three of our oceans.”
Canada has received two bids for a contract to construct recent submarines: one from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, which built the 2 ships being seen in Victoria.
Over the past few months, Hanwha ads promoting its KSS-III submarine have been popping up throughout including on YouTube ads, on billboards and other promotional materials as the corporate tries to make itself a household name in Ottawa.
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The South Korean company has also said it will construct its military vehicles in Canada in partnership with the domestic auto sector, including mobile howitzers, rocket launch systems and infantry vehicles. But that hinges on them being the successful bidder.
“As you already know, there’s an investment case that goes with this that the Canadian government has asked for,” said Glenn Copeland, CEO for Hanwha Canada. “But actually what we’ve heard loud and clear is to deliver the primary 4 submarines as quickly as possible with no modifications to the batch too.”
The KSS-III that arrived in Victoria is the kind that might be delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy, with an arrival time of 2032.
Canada is hoping to get 12 submarines, Patchell said, which he added would make the country a “submarine nation.”
TKMS didn’t comment on points of the bid while the federal government is assessing them, spokesperson Nils Beyer said in April, but said the strength of the general strategy is the “depth of government-backed engagement” supporting it.
Beyer said this includes targeted investment mechanisms, strategic infrastructure supports, and financial frameworks that enable long-term delivery.
The German producer’s bid is supported by the governments of Germany and Norway, that are selling it to Canadian officials as more of a partnership with NATO allies.
The longtime sub maker has also sought to incorporate Canadian firms in its supply chain and prospective bid. Beyer pointed to TKMS forging partnerships with Bombardier and Lockheed Martin Canada.
Each firms have been told to expect a call in June, which might pave the best way for delivery in 2032.
“I would like them yesterday,” Patchell said. “Canada needs a navy. We’re the most important maritime, the longest coastline on this planet, 244,000 kilometres stretched across three oceans. So we’d like a navy, we at all times need a navy, and we’ve at all times needed submarines.”
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