Eleventh Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel to be Launched Under Project Managed by SNC-Lavalin Subsidiary.

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 1998--SNC-LAVALIN (ME:SNC.) (TSE:SNC.) A major construction project being managed by SNC-Lavalin Group subsidiary Fenco MacLaren Inc. will reach an important milestone on Friday, July 10, 1998, with the launch of HMCS BRANDON, the eleventh of the twelve Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs). Similar to the first ten vessels of the class, HMCS BRANDON is named after a Canadian city. This vessel will be assigned to the West coast of Canada.

HMCS BRANDON will be named and launched by its sponsor, Mrs. Betty Coleman, a native of Brandon, Manitoba, at a ceremony to be held at 8:45 a.m. at Halifax Shipyard Limited in Halifax, N.S. Mrs. Coleman was educated in the city of Brandon and successfully completed her training at the Winnipeg General Hospital to become a Registered Nurse. During her career, Mrs. Coleman worked as a surgical nurse at the Brandon Mental Health Centre, the Brandon General Hospital, and in Nelson, British Columbia.

For many years, Mrs. Coleman has been associated with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair as an events sponsor. Mrs. Coleman has served as President of the Kinette Club of Brandon, a leader in both Girl Guides and Brownies as well as serving as Commissioner of the Girl Guides for the Brandon Region. Mrs. Coleman has also served as Director of the Army Cadet Western Region. She is a member of the board and past President of the Brandon General Hospital Auxiliary, and is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the Brandon General Hospital. Mrs. Coleman is involved with the "Seniors for Seniors" program and hosts a group promoting senior's health matters. She is a widow and has two children and seven grandchildren.

The event will be attended by Anthony Rustin, Executive Vice- President of the SNC-Lavalin Group and representatives of the MCDV project team, Saint John Shipbuilding Limited, federal, provincial and local governments.

The seven-year MCDV construction project, valued at about $650 million, remains on schedule and has not incurred any cost overruns under the supervision of Fenco MacLaren, an engineering, project management and systems integration company. "To date, the MCDV Project is progressing well with the delivery of ten MCDV's including initial cadre training for the first four ships' crews, three minecountermeasure payloads, two global positioning system (GPS) shore facilities and with the continued provision of industrial and regional benefits to Canada," said Project Manager Robert G. Mustard of Fenco MacLaren's Nepean, Ontario office.

The Government of Canada awarded Fenco MacLaren the major shipbuilding order in May 1992 and it is being executed by a strong team of Canadian companies. These companies include: Halifax Shipyard Limited (ship design and construction); MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (integrated survey and inspection system and integrated logistics support); Thomson-CSF Systems Canada Inc. (communication, navigation and combat systems, and integrated logistic support); and Tecsult Eduplus Inc. (training needs analysis and training).

The KINGSTON Class MCDVs will be used primarily by the Naval Reserve to conduct coastal patrol and surveillance as well as minecountermeasure missions. Each vessel will displace less than 1,000 tonnes, be 55 metres in length and accommodate up to 37 personnel.

The SNC-Lavalin Group is a Canadian company, listed on the Montreal and Toronto stock exchanges, with operations mainly in engineering- construction. With offices across Canada and in 30 other countries, the group and its companies have 6,300 employees and are currently working in some 85 countries.

SNC-Lavalin press releases are available on the Internet at the following address: http://www.snc-lavalin.com

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