Team Vigilance Welcomes Algoma Steel into the Preferred Supplier Program as the Primary Steel Provider
ST. CATHARINES, ON, April 23, 2025 /CNW/ – Ontario Shipyards, is proud to announce that Algoma Steel Inc. has signed a letter of intent to join the Team Vigilance preferred supplier program as the exclusive steel provider of steel plate. This strategic collaboration with Algoma Steel marks the first time that Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ships will be constructed using primarily made-in-Canada steel. Team Vigilance is the only consortium that can offer a designed in Canada, built in Canada and equipped in Canada solution for the Canadian Continental Defence Corvette.
VIGILANCE is a next-generation naval solution designed to meet the requirements of Canada's Continental Defence Corvette program. In collaboration with key partners VARD Marine, Thales Canada, SH Defence, and Fincantieri, VIGILANCE will provide the RCN with an operationally flexible military asset that is capable, globally deployable, and ready to meet future naval challenges.
Algoma Steel, headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is Canada's leading steel plate producer and employs over 2,700 people. With the recent announcement that the American Bureau of Shipping will accept CSA standard steel in the shipbuilding process, and the Government of Canada's initiative to prioritize Canadian-made steel in federal procurements, Algoma Steel is ideally situated to be the primary steel supplier of Canadian-made steel for future vessel construction projects under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Not only will VIGILANCE equip the sailors of the RCN and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve with advanced tools, but it will also continue to leverage the expertise and capacity of the Ontario industrial sector. Algoma Steel, a vital player in Canada's industrial and manufacturing heartland, is key to this effort. Through this partnership, VIGILANCE will contribute to the development of a truly sovereign naval capability, strengthening Canada's shipbuilding value chain and driving economic growth across the nation.
Shaun Padulo, President and CEO, Ontario Shipyards: 'I am proud to welcome Algoma Steel to Team Vigilance. Algoma's participation represents a powerful example of Ontario's industrial sector rallying to support the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Ontario Shipyards will harness the full strength of this sector, including industry leaders like Algoma Steel, to build ships for Canada efficiently and competitively. I am committed to using steel produced by Algoma beyond the Vigilance initiative. I look forward to continuing my close collaboration with Michael Garcia, a CEO I hold in the highest regard, as we pursue new shipbuilding opportunities together.'
Michael Garcia, CEO, Algoma Steel: 'The Ontario steel industry employs thousands of hard-working men and women whose jobs are at risk in the face of US tariffs. In light of the present headwinds, we urge the Canadian government to commit to a major shipbuilding program in Ontario that prioritizes made-in-Canada solutions and made-in-Canada suppliers.'
Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, Ontario: 'Our government is proud to support a $200 million investment in the Shipbuilding Grant Program to strengthen Ontario's economy, create good local jobs, and support a more self-reliant and resilient province. By positioning our province's shipbuilding industry as a full regional partner under the federal government's National Shipbuilding Strategy, we're helping secure Canadian contracts to build, retrofit, and repair Navy ships right here in Ontario.'
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