“In all of the years that I have been going to sea I cannot recall another ship that I have worked on that has operated as flawlessly as CSS Asterix. It is everything and more that the very positive announcement mentions. We are all proud of serving on her and doing the work that we do, and could not have achieved the positive results without the FFS SMT support.”-MV ASTERIX MASTER-Andrew Powell

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 19, 2024 /CNW/ – Federal Fleet Services (FFS) announced today that the Government of Canada has exercised the remaining three option years under their unique Provision of Services Agreement (PSA) for Combat Support Ship (CSS) Asterix. In addition to the provision of the Asterix, FFS provides personnel to operate and maintain the vessel, while the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) assigns Mission Specialists to fulfill critical naval defense roles, with the FFS merchant and RCN military crews operating in an integrated, seamless and highly capable manner.

This cost effective contracting model has been a true Canadian success story and is currently in its seventh year and will be in effect until at least January 28^th 2028. The original contract for CSS Asterix was for an initial five-year period followed by five optional years, and an option to purchase the vessel, which remains in effect.

John Schmidt, President of Federal Fleet Services said, “Since 2018, Combat Support Ship Asterix has circumnavigated the globe several times working with NATO and other allied navies in military and humanitarian operations in the world’s most hostile regions – from the Persian Gulf to East Africa, the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula. In that time, the ship has performed flawlessly, without a single day of unplanned downtime. Asterix has truly earned her place as an essential capability for serving the needs of our military, as well as those of our allies.”

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