New vessels would be very important to the Halifax Shipyard

If the Halifax lead team is selected to design and build joint supply vessels for the navy, it would mean sustained work for team members, an Irving spokeswoman said Monday.

The federal government announced Monday a $2.9-billion program to build and maintain three new joint supply vessels.

The Irving-owned Halifax Shipyard is the lead yard in a bid against three other groups to win the design contract. The Irving team includes the Davie Shipyard in Quebec, General Dynamics Canada, Lockheed Martin and Fleetway Inc.