Navy hosts Canadian submariner aboard 3,000-ton submarine amid export bid
Korean and Canadian Navy officials pose for a group photo aboard the ROKS Ahn Mu submarine, Thursday. Courtesy of the Korean Navy
The Navy invited a Canadian submariner aboard its 3,000-ton submarine during recent maritime drills, officials said Thursday, as Korea seeks to win a major deal to supply submarines to Canada.
The Canadian submariner joined Korean troops on the ROKS Ahn Mu for a six-day exercise that concluded Wednesday as part of the Silent Shark drills, a combined anti-submarine warfare exercise jointly held by Korea and the United States near Guam, according to the Navy.
It marked the first time a foreign submariner boarded Korea's homegrown 3,000-ton submarine, while submariners from overseas have trained alongside Korean service members on smaller 1,200-ton and 1,800-ton submarines during multinational drills.
The latest move came as Korea seeks to win the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, under which Ottawa plans to acquire up to 12 submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy to upgrade its submarine fleet, with an aim to receive the first new vessel by no later than 2035.
Korean defense firm Hanwha Ocean was shortlisted as one of the two "qualified suppliers," or preferred bidders, along with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems for the landmark contract.