Canada weighing direct contract with foreign governments for sub purchase, head of navy says

Members of the Royal Canadian Navy stand aboard the HMCS Corner Brook submarine docked in North Vancouver, B.C. Canada has narrowed down its hunt for a new fleet of submarines to two suppliers.

Ottawa is weighing contracting directly with the South Korean or German and Norwegian governments instead of manufacturers in its coming purchase of a fleet of submarines, the commander of Canada’s navy said.

The federal government recently announced it has narrowed its hunt for up to 12 submarines down to two suppliers : South Korea’s Hanwha or a German-Norwegian project with manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in Germany.

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, said Ottawa is exploring the benefits that could come from purchasing the subs through a “strat