Canada has unveiled a new naval shipbuilding strategy worth C$35bn (US$33.6bn) over the next 30 years to build combat and non-combat vessels for the Canadian Navy and Coastguard.

Canada’s defence minister Peter MacKay said two shipyards would be contracted within two years to build 28 large vessels and 100 smaller ships for the navy and coastguard, according to Reuters.

Ships procured under the programme will be used to defend the country’s Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic coasts, he said.

The new programme is expected to boost the domestic shipbuilding industry while regenerating the Canadian Navy’s aging fleet of warships.

Contracts for smaller vessels will be tendered on a competitive bidding basis, while contracts for larger navy vessels will be competitively procured under existing rules.