Minister of Industry Melanie Joly arrives in Korea, Visits Hanwha’s Okpo yard
Melanie Joly has officially arrived in Korea this evening. The Minister of Industry will be in the country until the 26th to meet with key officials in government and industry, primarily regarding the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.
Fresh off the plane, the Minister's first major stop took her right to the thick of things as she stopped by Hanwha's shipyard in Geoje to tour the yard and get a first-hand look at the ROKS Jang Yeong-sil, the first of the KSS-III Batch II submarines to be launched.
We reported last week about this visit, which has been conducted fairly quietly. Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr was also supposed to be on this tour but sadly had to skip this time around. Korean sources say he should be visiting sometime in the early new year.
Hanwha Ocean released the following statement about the visit:
Canada's Minister of Industry Visits Hanwha Ocean Geoje Shipyard
Today, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Mélanie Joly, visited Hanwha Ocean Geoje Shipyard. Ahead of the $60 billion Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), Minister Joly toured the recently launched KSS-III Batch-II submarine and experienced firsthand the advanced capabilities.
As Minister Joly has highlighted, CPSP is a transformative project for Canada's economy and technology ecosystem. Hanwha Ocean is ready to deliver the optimal solution for the Royal Canadian Navy | Marine royale canadienne-combining speed, scale, technology transfer, and supply chain development-while growing together as a trusted partner.
The Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is rapidly heating up. The RFP was delivered to Hanwha and TKMS two weeks ago, with both given until March 2nd to provide responses. The Canadian government is expected to downselect a partner sometime in the spring or early summer.
I expect we will get more info on this visit in the morning, as well as a readout from Hanwha. However, I did want to take the time to provide a small, late-night update on the Minister's arrival. She marks one of the last major officials still left to visit.
I believe Fuhr is now the last one. We will have more info about the CPSP RFP in today's newsletter!
Until then!
I feel like the obvious choice is Hanwa but for political reasons the Government is dragging it on. I'm sure they could have had the RFP done before March of that really wanted to.
I get everyone's comments about it feeling like they are dragging it out, but I think the timing is probably set by other necessities. My feeling is that they probably set that time frame based on the needs of the Defense Investment Agency. If they are looking at running the initial procurement work through the DIA, They need at least a few more months to be properly staffed up and running. At least that is my guess.