South Korea’s STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. said Monday its Canadian unit will participate in an Ottawa government-led 36 trillion won ($32.7 billion) project to build a large fleet of ships.

STX Canada Marine Inc. will sign a formal contract with Canada’s Seaspan Corp. to jointly build non-combat ships including support ships, ice breakers and sea exploration vessels, STX Offshore & Shipbuilding said.

The construction of the non-combat vessels is estimated to be worth 9 trillion won, but STX Offshore & Shipbuilding did not elaborate on how much it will take up.

The Canadian project is aimed at constructing 15 convoys and destroyers, six to eight icebreakers and patrol ships over the next 25 years.

STX Canada Marine will provide design and production engineering services and STX Offshore will supply production expertise, said STX Offshore & Shipbuilding.

“North America, including Canada, stands out for specialized ships such as warships and icebreakers,” said a company official.

“The deal will help STX Offshore make inroads into the North American market.” 

(Yonhap News)