Irving Shipbuilding, headquartered in Nova Scotia, has signed a contract to begin work on the first of 15 River-class destroyers for the Royal Canadian Navy. Valued initially at 8 billion Canadian dollars ($5.5 billion), the agreement authorizes construction of the first three vessels—Fraser, Saint-Laurent, and Mackenzie—over a six-year period. It also includes spare parts, maintenance support, and training services for the ships’ operation and upkeep.
