Engineering group to supply Canadian naval ship building programme
Sheffield-headquartered specialist engineering group, Pressure Technologies, says its wholly owned subsidiary Chesterfield Special Cylinders (CSC) has secured a major naval defence contract.
It has been hired to supply air pressure vessels to the Royal Canadian Navy’s River class destroyer programme.
The £2.8m contract award by Canadian shipbuilder, Irving Shipbuilding Inc, covers the first three ships in the 15-ship programme and underpins the expected global defence order book development for CSC in FY25.
Initial manufacturing milestones will start in May 2025 and pressure vessels for the first three ships will be delivered to the programme over the next five
Irving Shipbuilding Inc will build the 15 River class destroyers to replace existing Halifax class frigates in the Canadian fleet.
The new construction programme is an important part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy and has been described as the largest, most complex shipbuilding programme in Canadian history.
The River class destroyer is based on the established Type 26 Global Combat Ship platform, currently under construction for the UK’s Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.
These ships will form the backbone of Canada’s future naval combat capability. Air pressure vessels supplied by CSC will form an integral part of safety-critical onboard systems.
Chris Walters, chief executive of Pressure Technologies, said: “I am pleased to confirm this £2.8m contract award for Chesterfield Special Cylinders to deliver pressure vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy’s River class destroyer programme, working closely with Irving Shipbuilding and supporting the Canadian National Shipbuilding Strategy.
“This contract award underpins our global defence order book in FY25 and further demonstrates the role played by the specialised engineering and manufacturing capabilities of Chesterfield Special Cylinders in naval new construction programmes globally.”