The federal government has taken another step toward modernizing the Royal Canadian Navy’s submarine fleet, naming two companies as qualified suppliers for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.

But while the decision comes out of Ottawa, its ripple effects are being felt in Victoria.

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the government of Canada announced that German firm Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean Co. are now in the running to build Canada’s next generation of submarines.

The new class, expected to be delivered by 2035, will replace the navy’s aging Victoria-class vessels.

Canada purchased the submarines used from the Royal Navy in 1998, with three entering service between 2000 and 2003. A fourth suffered fire damage during its transfer and was not fully commissioned

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