As sub competition heats up, TKMS and Germany making moves in Canada

Prime Minister Mark Carney climbs out of a 212A class submarine under maintenance as he tours ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), a submarine building facility in Kiel, Germany on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

OTTAWA — Representatives from the German government and submarine builder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems say it’s “perfectly feasible” to begin delivery of submarines to Canada before Ottawa’s deadline of 2035.

A Canadian representative from TKMS tells The Canadian Press the firm was surprised how quickly Canada moved to narrow down the options for new submarines.

The company didn’t expect Canada to do that at least until next month but Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on a trip to Germany this week that TKMS and South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean were the final two contenders for the contract.

Carney paid a rare visit to the TKMS submarine facility in Kiel, Germany on Tuesday as Canada continues its search for a dozen new submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.

The German embassy is hosting a reception tonight in Halifax with defence sector representatives on a German Navy Berlin-class joint-support ship as it visits the East Coast — hoping to capitalize on momentum from Carney’s recent trip to Berlin.

TKMS says it held recent meetings with three major Canadian shipyards and if it wins the bid, it wants to involve them all in the project, if possible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press