Babcock's Canadian Submarine Management Group (CSMG) has begun
work to undertake the first Extended Docking Work Period (EDWP)
under the Victoria In-Service Support Contract (VISSC), on HMCS
Chicoutimi, following the award of the contract to the company by
the Canadian government in June 2008. This EDWP will be a
significant step towards realising Babcock's aim of becoming the
long term in-service support partner of choice to Canada.
Babcock's CSMG is teamed with Victoria Shipyards as a key
subcontractor to undertake refit work on the west coast, and the
EDWP on Chicoutimi is being carried out in a purpose-built covered
facility in Victoria Shipyards, which was completed in February
this year.
HMCS Chicoutimi was transferred from Canada's east coast to
Victoria Shipyards on the west coast in May 2009 under CSMG
control, and has since been undergoing an Extended Lay Up and
Maintenance Period. The submarine had been laid up on the east
coast since suffering fire damage on her way to Canada in 2004,
following reactivation at Barrow in the UK.
Work to be undertaken on Chicoutimi during the substantial 29
month EDWP includes a large system surveillance package (part of
the survey and assessment activity to identify the emergent work
package normally associated with a complex refit programme such as
this); battery change; propulsion plant overhauls; weapon handling
and launch system overhaul; fire damage repairs including a
complete rebuild of the communications room; and replacement of 65%
of the hull tiles; as well as 52 Engineering Changes (EC), or
alterations and additions, with 16 further ECs being considered
subject to approval. The original planned work alone (excluding
emergent work) will involve some 650,000 manhours of production
work.
Initiatives implemented to ensure on-time completion of this
refit have included a pre-EDWP de-risk package, undertaken in the
three months prior to commencement of the EDWP. This included
survey of the external tanks and free-flood spaces, removal of
control surfaces, tile survey, and survey of fire damaged
areas.
In undertaking the refit, CSMG is drawing on Babcock's proven
project and production control processes, tailored for application
in Canada, and has seconded submarine-experienced Babcock staff to
key positions within Victoria Shipyards. Babcock is the sole UK
submarine platform in-service support contractor with an
established track record of successful submarine refits and
upgrades at Devonport, and support to operational submarines at
Faslane. Babcock also leads the Submarine Support Management Group
industry team which has provided engineering design and technical
support services to the UK Ministry of Defence for over a decade.
This extensive know-how was key to CSMG being awarded the VISSC
contract.
"On-time delivery of Chicoutimi, ready for operations, is vital
to Canada's overall submarine programme, and we have drawn on and
applied our considerable expertise within Babcock to plan and
execute this EDWP to achieve this," Babcock Integrated Technology
Director Andy Nicholls commented. "Our aim is to work with Canada's
Department of National Defence (DND) to improve operational
availability and demonstrate value for money within an overall
culture of safety."
The EDWP started in July. Flood-up is scheduled for mid-2012,
with project completion in December 2012.