Canada's Davie Shipbuilding has completed the construction, commissioning and sea trials of the first Resolve-class naval support ship, Asterix.
The 26,000-tonne ship left Québec City on December 23 en route to Canadian Forces Base Halifax, where she will enter service with the Royal Canadian Navy and be operated by Federal Fleet Services.
The first new naval support ship to enter service with the Royal Canadian Navy in more than 50 years, Asterix is also the first large naval platform to be delivered from a Canadian shipyard in more than 20 years.
The Resolve-class naval support ship was designed by Rolls-Royce to meet the highest NATO and Lloyds Register requirements to support military operations, specifically for its primary replenishment-at-sea functionality but also in terms of systems redundancy, damage control, ammunition storage and other systems onboard.
Upon arrival at Halifax, Asterix and her crew of 36 merchant sailors will welcome aboard the navy to begin integration training in January 2018 before supporting naval operations from February for the next 10 years.
Capable of being fitted with a range of self-defence systems, including three Raytheon Phalanx 20mm close-In weapon systems, Asterix features Terragon of Montreal's MAGS 8 waste management system, an extensive intermodal handling area that is accessible at sea (a first within NATO), Canada's first at sea hospital facility (with a full operating theatre) and an advanced aviation capability that can land all of the RCAF's helicopters (including Chinooks).
A fully redundant electrical power plant and propulsion system were also installed to preclude the possibility of a recurrence of a complete power plant failure that struck HMCS Protecteur in February 2014.
The 24-month construction of Asterix, valued at CAN $659 million (US$525 million), was entirely privately financed.
Asterix remains under the ownership of Federal Fleet Services and will fly the company's house ensign.