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Thordon Bearings Joins Vard Marine’s Team Vigilance Programme

Our Bureau - : Jun 27, 2024 - : 8:23 pm

Vard Marine Inc. (VARD), part of Fincantieri, has announced Thordon Bearings Inc. as a preferred supplier for the VIGILANCE project, aimed at replacing the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Kingston Class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs).

VIGILANCE, developed with Team Vigilance partners Thales Canada, Ontario Shipyards, SH Defence, and Fincantieri, offers a flexible and capable military asset for the RCN. It performs all roles of the current MCDVs while also handling duties beyond the capabilities of MCDVs and Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPVs).

Thordon Bearings, based in Burlington, Ontario, has a longstanding history with the RCN, starting in the early 1990s with its COMPAC bearing systems. The company has since provided bearings and seals to over 50 navies and coast guards worldwide and has supported the AOPS program.

The inclusion of Thordon ensures the VIGILANCE design will feature COMPAC seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings, SXL grease-free rudder bearings, and SeaThigor mechanical face seals, which offer a “safe-return-to-port” function. The decision to include Thordon is based on the performance, reliability, and low acoustic signature of their bearings.

Team Vigilance’s goal is to have VIGILANCE designed, built, and equipped in Canada, maintaining a balance between capability and cost. The vessel will feature a lightweight hull, autonomous technology, a modular mission bay, and capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, subsea infrastructure protection, mine countermeasures, resource conservation, and maritime interdiction.

“As a world leader in seawater-lubricated polymer bearing technology, bringing Thordon onboard was an easy decision to render. Given the fact that Thordon’s world-class products are manufactured right here at home and are already used throughout the RCN and CCG fleets means support costs will be greatly reduced over the entire life cycle of the Vigilance class,” said Derek S. Buxton, Vice President Business Development, Vard Marine.

Scott Groves, Vice President Sales, Thordon Bearings, said: “We are thrilled to be part of the team offering this ground-breaking design. Vigilance is tailored specifically to meet future RCN requirements under the second pillar of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The state-of-the-art design brings together a wealth of Canadian expertise capable of balancing operational flexibility, multi-mission versatility, and cost efficiencies with a vessel designed, built, and equipped in Canada.”

Anna Galoni, CEO & Chair, Thordon Bearings, said: “The unique properties of our COMPAC propeller shaft bearing system meets strict naval criteria not only in terms of bearing longevity, wear life and performance, but it has a lower coefficient of friction, greater shock resistance and a lower acoustic signature, compared to traditional naval bronze-backed rubber bearings.”

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