Going Dutch with JSS?

Further to this post, since it doesn't look like any Canadian shipbuilder can produce what the Navy wants with money available, perhaps we might collaborate with the Netherlands--who are planning their own Joint Support Ship:

With its plan to construct a new fleet of navy supply ships in disarray, the Defence Department dispatched a retired admiral to the Netherlands for discussions that some in Canada's maritime industry worry could lead to the vessels eventually being built overseas.

Retired rear admiral Ian Mack was recently in Europe for talks with a Dutch shipyard as the federal government considers various options to salvage the navy's $2.9-billion Joint Support Ship project, according to industry insiders.

But any move to have the work done overseas, cutting out Canadian jobs in the process, will be met with stiff opposition from the country's shipbuilding industry, warns Peter Cairns, president of the Ottawa-based Shipbuilding Association of Canada.

"The whole thing is ridiculous," said Mr. Cairns, who acknowledged he is worried, nonetheless, about the meetings the Defence Department had in Europe.

He said the department has held at least two meetings with a Dutch shipyard, the latest involving Mr. Mack, and an official from the office of Dan Ross, assistant deputy minister of materiel.

Any move by the Harper government to have the navy vessels built offshore would be a major change in policy and could significantly weaken domestic shipbuilding, according to defence industry officials.

The current government policy states that vessels acquired for the government must be built in Canada, but Canadian industry officials are worried that some in the government want to change that.

"I think there's a camp that wants to go offshore," Mr. Cairns said. "There's a group of people who don't see any benefit in investing in their own country."

Earlier this year, the federal government determined that proposals from two Canadian consortiums earmarked to build the new fleet were "non-compliant."

Defence officials were told the Joint Support Ship budget was not enough to build the three vessels envisioned and attempts to obtain more funding from the government have been unsuccessful.

A number of options on how to proceed will now be looked at by the government, including building ships in Europe. Other options would be to significantly reduce the scope of what the new ships could do as well as reducing the number to be bought to two vessels.

The new vessels are to replace the navy's aging supply ships, which are considered vital to supporting destroyers and frigates for long periods at sea. The current supply ships carry fuel and provisions for warships, but the Defence Department wants the new vessels to carry army vehicles, a command centre and a small hospital as well as other facilities to support ground troops on shore. There is no similar type of ship like it in the world as most navies use two types of vessels to do the two distinct roles...

The Dutch are in the process of designing a new ship that some in the Defence Department feel could meet the Canadian navy's needs.

More on the planned Dutch JSS here (via canuck101).

Update: An editorial in the Victoria Times Colonist has a point:

...
None of this inspires confidence in the Defence Department's ability to manage the supply ship project, which carries significant risks. The role is now filled largely by Protecteur-class ships -- including HMCS Protecteur, based at CFB Esquimalt. The 40-year-old ships carry fuel, food, munitions and other supplies to Canadian vessels around the world and offer better medical facilities than smaller ships.

The military wants to replace them with ships that will also carry army vehicles, a command centre and facilities to support ground troops on shore -- an unprecedented combination among the world's navies [note that is true also of the planned Dutch ship]. That inevitably means risks at a time when the Defence Department has not demonstrated competence in managing major capital programs.

The first step is to re-examine the need for these types of ships and the role the military imagines for them. Where will Canadian troops be deployed that requires a marine command centre to support them, and under what circumstances?..