Arctic and offshore patrol ships: Royal Canadian Navy

The arctic and offshore patrol ships (AOPS) are the first class of vessels delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

The AOPS are:

• conducting armed sea-borne surveillance in Canada's waters, including in the Arctic
• enforcing Canadian sovereignty in cooperation with partners of the Canadian Armed Forces and other government departments
• enhancing our ability to assert Canadian sovereignty

The RCN have deployed the AOPS on a variety of operations abroad where they have shown many versatile capabilities. These vessels have also circumnavigated North America, were deployed to Antarctica, and have provided support to Canadians at home.

The AOPS project, which includes building 6 vessels for the RCN and 2 for the Canadian Coast Guard, is estimated to contribute $459 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product and to create or maintain 3,425 jobs annually in the Canadian economy from 2015 to 2028.