On March 25, a Republic of Korea Submarine (ROKS) Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine departed from Jinhae Naval Base, heading to Victoria, British Columbia at CFB Esquimalt as its final destination. It is expected to participate in a joint Canadian-South Korean naval exercise in May 2026. En route to Victoria, the submarine would make logistical stops at Guam and Hawaii, the latter in order to pick up two Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) submariners and join the submarine crew as part of the REGULUS exchange program en route to Vic.

The trip is highly noteworthy. South Korean naval officials have stated that the distance to travel from South Korea to Canada, at 14,000 kilometers (7,559.39 nautical miles), is the longest ever undertaken by a KSS-III submarine. Aside from the projected distance, the presence of the two submariners would also provide them the opportunity to gain experience on operating the submarine from their South Korean counterparts.

The Hanhwa Ocean KSS-III or the Dosan Ahn Changho-class is one of two submarines currently being considered for the RCN to replace the Victoria-class submarines. The other is the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) Type 212CD, which is manufactured in Germany. At time of publishing, the Type 212CD is expected to have its first launch around 2027 for the Royal Norwegian Navy, followed by the German Navy.

The KSS-III’s return voyage to Canada is worthy of attention; its deployment is a subtle way to show off operational capabilities while Ottawa has yet to commit to the KSS-III under the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) to replace the Victoria-class submarines.

The deployment of the KSS-III to CFB Esquimalt is also something to pay attention to. The CPSP includes a requirement that the next submarine platform has a range of 7,000 nautical miles, as well as a submerged endurance of 21 days. Such a range would allow for conducting long-range submerged patrols, facilitating submarine operations in the Arctic. Submarine missions in the Arctic are expected to be hostile when the new submarines are operational, given the region’s harsh climate and extreme isolation.

The KSS-III has a reported operational range of 10,000 nautical miles and a submerged endurance of over 21 days without resurfacing. Both are made possible by the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, which is used to charge its lithium-ion batteries. The AIP uses fuel cells instead of diesel generators. This marks an improvement on Canada’s Victoria-class submarines, which have an operational range of 8,000 nautical miles and a submerged endurance of up to 21 days maximum. Unlike the KSS-III, the Victoria class uses a diesel-electric system to recharge its batteries, which forces the submarine to be on the surface to vent out diesel exhaust. These technical complications make it so the Victoria class could only maintain a limited presence in Arctic waters.

Captain Hugues Canuel, Canadian Defence Advisor at the Canadian High Commission in Singapore, stressed that the deployment of the Dosan Ahn Changho was significant in a WhatsApp correspondence. First, the CPSP contract is getting increasingly competitive, with no formal decision as of yet on either a German or South Korean supplier. Hanhwa is pairing the KSS-III with its track record of delivering complex naval platforms and willingness to engage in joint production and technology collaboration with Canadian defense companies as a long-term partner. Second, deploying the KSS-III across the Pacific Ocean demonstrates that it can operate credibly in Canadian waters. Both are strong signals being sent to Ottawa in an attempt to influence the final decision on the CPSP contract.

There is also a broader strategic signal inherent in the KSS-III deployment. Captain Canuel points out that this is not only just an industrial pitch, but also a part of efforts by South Korea to position itself as a serious defense player beyond the Indo-Pacific. For Canada, it is an opportunity to deepen engagement in the region while simultaneously recapitalizing on key capabilities for the RCN.

The alignment is not trivial, but rather a growing convergence between operational requirements and industrial partnership, where Canada and South Korea can mutually benefit.

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