Joint Support Ship: The Royal Canadian Navy’s current Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessels will be replaced with the new Joint Support Ships (JSS).

The purpose of an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessel is to re-supply deployed ships at sea. It greatly increases the effectiveness and flexibility of a Navy, as it allows them to remain at sea for longer periods. It can also apply when those assets are engaged, over an extended period of time, in surveillance of Canada’s extensive coastlines and sovereign waters. The Royal Canadian Navy needs support ships. The Joint Support Ship (JSS) project will deliver two new ships, as outlined in Strong, Secured, Engaged, Canada’s defence policy. These Joint Support Ships are being built for the RCN under the National Shipbuilding Strategy and will replace the auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessels that reached the end of their operational lives.

WATCH OUR JSS TOUR VIDEO: CDR Visits Seaspan to Tour the First Joint Support Ship

The future Joint Support Ship will provide:

• Underway Support to Naval Task Groups: Underway support is best described as the re-supply of fuel, food, ammunition, spare parts and other supplies between ships at sea. This includes the operation and maintenance of helicopters, as well as task group medical and dental facilities;
• Limited Sealift: JSS will be capable of transporting and delivering cargo both in support of task group operations and in support to operations ashore; and
• Limited Support to Operations Ashore: To meet a range of possibilities in an uncertain future security environment, the JSS will leverage its onboard facilities to support operations ashore, including anything from combat to humanitarian and disaster relief.
• Self-defence functions and the ability to respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats to allow for operations in high threat environments.

The early construction phase of the future Protecteur-class ships, began in June 2018 at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. Delivery of the first vessel, the future HMCS Protecteur, is planned in 2025. Following which, the RCN will conduct a series of trials to ensure the ship meets operational requirements. Construction of the second ship, the future HMCS Preserver, commenced in May 2022 with delivery to the RCN planned for 2027.

READ: SHIPBUILDING – Seaspan Shipyards