Abu Dhabi: Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Toronto (HMCS) was scheduled to dock on Sunday at 6:30 at Mina Zayed to take part in the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX), said the Canadian embassy.

The event will be attended by prominent members of the UAE government, business, the diplomatic corps, as well as the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex) 2013 participants.

Arif Z. Lalani, the Canadian ambassador to the UAE, said that “the ship will underline the overall strength of the Canada-UAE bilateral relationship, as well as the importance of strong trade ties within that relationship”.

The embassy said that HMCS Toronto will be deployed until the fall of 2013 contributing to the multinational coalition fleet conducting maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea region.

HMCS Toronto has been undergoing extensive training in preparation for this deployment as part of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) and will replace HMCS Regina which has been in the region since August, the Canadian embassy said.

Canada’s leadership in industry

The Canadian vessel will join the visiting vessels which include the 60-metre USS Chinook Cyclone Class coastal patrol boat from the US, the HMS Shorham and HMS Ramsey 52.5 metre mine hunter vessels from the UK, the French FS L’adroit 87 metre Gowend class patrol vessel, one 88.6 metre ITS Camandanti Cigala Fulgosi vessel from Italy, and one PNS Jurrat, Jurrat class missile boat from Pakistan.

The ambassador said that since Canada is a leader in developing, testing and deploying updated and modern technologies in a variety of situations around the world, his country is represented at Idex by almost 30 companies, with six exhibiting in the Canada Pavilion.

“Canadian companies can offer solutions for the UAE’s security and defence requirements. We’re excited to see such a large number of Canadian exhibitors. These companies represent the best Canadian capabilities and technologies in a number of areas of the defence and security sector — from light armoured vehicles to military simulators, from surveillance applications to the best soldier kit on the market.”

“The presence of the Canadian contingent illustrates the importance that these firms place on the UAE and GCC markets. The UAE is a strategic partner in the region,” Lalani concluded.