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Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Friday that a sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship will be built for the Royal Canadian Navy at Irving Shipbuilding.

The government had earlier committed to building five of the vessels.

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The construction of the sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) underscores the government’s commitment “to maximizing stable employment” for Irving Shipbuilding while providing equipment to the navy, Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada said in a statement.

Irving Shipbuilding had been lobbying the Liberal government to approve the construction of the sixth ship to deal with the downturn in work between the end of the AOPS program and the beginning of work on the Canadian Surface Combatant project.

Three ships are in full production and steel cutting for the fourth ship is planned for this winter. The first AOPS is now in the water and is expected to be delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy in summer 2019.