German warships in Halifax to drum up business

The commander of a German task group says Canadian navy officials — in the market for new combat vessels — have been giving his warships the once-over during his visit to Halifax.

Capt. Christop Müller-Meinhard, the task group commander, is currently in the city with warships FGS Hessen, FGS Frankfurt am Main and FGS Emden.

"We invited the Canadians to look at the ships and get an idea of how the ships work," he told CBC News on Tuesday.

"We provided them the opportunity to go onboard our ships and just get a smell of 'Made in Germany.'"

The Royal Canadian Navy is refurbishing 12 of its 1990s era Halifax-class patrol frigates. They are expected to reach the end of their life expectancy around 2025.

The frigate replacement program is a major component of the federal government's National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. It's a plan worth $35 billion — the majority of which was awarded to the Irving-owned Halifax Shipyard in October.

While the combat vessels — destroyers, frigates and Arctic offshore patrol ships — are to be built in Halifax, the federal government has not said where the ships will be designed.

Two supply ships to be replaced

"This is probably a new design you can see new ship designs all over the world," Müller-Meinhard said of FGS Hessen.

"It makes it a little bit different because it's a stealth design."

British Columbia's Seaspan Marine Corporation was awarded an $8-billion contract in October to build non-combat naval and coast guard vessels for the federal government.

The contract includes two supply ships to replace the aging HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver — ships so old they are forbidden to travel near the coasts of some countries because of environmental concerns.

The design of FGS Frankfurt am Main, a Berlin-class supply ship, is one that has been touted to be a lead contender for any Canadian navy replacements.

Müller-Meinhard said it's a ship that gives the German navy a powerful reach at sea.

"You can't deploy a task group at sea without any supply," he said.