Next-Gen Offshore Patrol Vessel Launched for Canadian Navy

Vard Marine Inc., a Fincantieri company, has unveiled the Vigilance Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) at CANSEC 2023 in conjunction with Team Vigilance partner companies Heddle Shipyards, Thales Canada, SH Defence, and Fincantieri.

Tailored to the needs of the Royal Canadian Navy’s future fleet, Vigilance strikes the balance between flexibility, adaptability, and size, while maintaining the life-cycle cost advantages VARD’s naval designs are known for. The vessel has been conceived for high-tempo sovereignty missions and engineered for global deployment and forward basing abroad. 

Cost effective and forward-looking, Vigilance will fulfil critical operational needs through a combination of organic and modular capabilities, enabling core naval missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, subsea infrastructure protection, mine countermeasures, resource conservation, and maritime interdiction operations. The seamless integration of the CUBE plug-and-play mission module and payload handling system ensures Vigilance remains future-proof and can offer a true multi-mission capability regardless of the tasks assigned to the vessel.

Intended to satisfy projected future demands under the second pillar of the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy as a replacement for the Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels, these new ships will be designed, built, and equipped in Canada. 

According to Vard, Vigilance will provide the sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve the modern tools they need to protect Canada’s interests at home and abroad.

Derek Buxton, Vard Marine Vice President of Business Development, said: “With our experience in designing modern multi-mission OPVs such as the RCN’s AOPS and the USCG’s Heritage Class Cutters, and the vast, aligned, experience of our Team Vigilance partners, we stand ready to support the Government of Canada throughout the ongoing conception, development, delivery, and deployment of their future offshore patrol vessel program.”