Seaspan Shipyard News

The advent of industry wide tightening of allowable sulfur emissions is getting nearer. Suddenly, with the deadline now little more than one year away, the countdown clock will very soon be ticking much louder. Simply stated, the cap on allowable sulfur content in marine fuels, presently at 3.5 percent in many geographical regions, will be reduced to 0.5 percent in January 2020. The 0.1 percent sulfur cap, already in effect since 2015 in coastal Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) in Europe and North America…

Following five weeks of repair and installation activities, Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock (VDC) has completed its refit activities on Louis Dreyfus’ Ile de Batz Special Purpose/Cable Layer vessel. Arriving on April 21 and departing VDC on-schedule on May 25, 2017, the Paris, France-based vessel underwent a wide scope of work that included the assembly of a new plow (special insitu welding/machining), overall support for mobilizing the ship, as well as the primary focus of the refit program, the installation of a Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) system – the first of its kind at VDC. “This innovative repair and maintenance project truly was an all-hands-on-deck job…

Quebec-based Chantier Davie Canada Inc. presented a bid, potentially worth up to a billion dollars, to the federal government last month offering a Polar Class 3 icebreaker, three smaller River-class icebreakers and two multi-purpose research, border control and search and rescue ships, says a report in the Canadian Press. The proposal by Quebec-based Chantier Davie Canada Inc. has the potential to undercut one pillar of the national shipbuilding strategy, which delegates the construction of civilian ships to Vancouver's Seaspan shipyard. In a presentation to Public Services and Procurement Canada, Davie is partially reviving a pitch made to the former Conservative government in 2013, where it offered to a construct a Polar Class 3 icebreaker and deliver it in 18 months.

Seaspan Shipyard’s long-standing relationship with the Canadian Coast Guard was proudly showcased in recent days, with simultaneous repair and maintenance work on Coast Guard vessels at all three of the company’s shipyards – Vancouver Drydock, Vancouver Shipyards and Victoria Shipyards. “The role we play as an essential service provider to the Canadian Coast Guard is one that we take great pride in,” said Brian Carter, President, Seaspan Shipyards. In North Vancouver, Vancouver Drydock completed regular maintenance last week on the JP Tully, a 69 metre long Ice Class Oceanographic Survey Vessel, including overhauls to the tail-shaft and thrusters, hull preparation, paint and tank blasting, and re-coating.

Today, Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards officially celebrated the completion of its two-year, $170M Shipyard Modernization Project ahead of schedule and under-budget. Funded entirely by Seaspan, this project has transformed Vancouver Shipyards into the most modern facility in North America that will establish a shipbuilding and ship repair centre of excellence on the West Coast, and allow for the effective and efficient delivery of Non-Combat vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy. “Today is a celebration for Seaspan, and words cannot express how proud I am of the incredible transformation of Vancouver Shipyards,” said Jonathan Whitworth – CEO, Seaspan.

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards has started construction on two initial blocks for the first National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) ship, the Canadian Coast Guard’s Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV), the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, announced. “We are thrilled to begin initial block construction on the OFSV and are grateful that Minister Finley is here to celebrate this milestone moment with us," said Brian Carter, President – Seaspan Shipyards.

After several months of anticipation and preparation, and the careful consideration of hundreds of student submissions, Seaspan officially revealed the name of its newly assembled, 300-tonne gantry crane at a boisterous unveiling ceremony at Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) today. Announcing the crane’s new name - Hiyí Skwáyel, the Squamish language translation of “Big Blue” (pronounced hee-yay sk-why-el) – was the final step in an extensive evaluation process that began with a two-week long “Crane Naming Contest” with North Vancouver School District students, from March 3 – 14.

Seaspan announced it will host an official naming ceremony for its new 300-metric-ton gantry crane, the largest of its kind in Canada, May 21, 2014. The ceremony at Vancouver Shipyards will include speeches, First Nation blessing and official commissioning activities and check presentation. The crane is a critical component of Seaspan’s Shipyard Modernization Project, a two-year, $200 million project which will provide state-of-the-art facilities to efficiently deliver Non-Combat vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard, and establish a world-class shipbuilding and ship repair center of excellence on the West Coast, the yard said.

From March 3-14, 2014, Seaspan is calling on all Grades 4-7 students in NVSD, to put their thinking caps on, come up with their one best idea in two words or less, and help cement their spot in the history of Vancouver Shipyards. “The arrival of our new 300-metric-ton Gantry Crane marks a major milestone in Seaspan’s Shipyard Modernization Project and the future of the North Vancouver community as a whole,” said Brian Carter, President of Seaspan Shipyards. More than 4,400 students…

Seaspan Marine entered into a technology support agreement with STX Offshore and Shipbuilding Company Ltd. This partnership will optimize Vancouver Shipyard’s planned facilities upgrades for the Federal Government’s recently awarded $8 billion Non-Combat National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) program. STX is one of the leading shipbuilders in the world and currently produces approximately 60 vessels per year with annual steel throughput over 700,000 tonnes. STX plans to dispatch a technical staff to Vancouver Shipyards to review facility upgrades and provide recommendations for optimizing shipbuilding efficiency. “This partnership…