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Washington Marine Group News

14 Oct 2010

Vancouver Shipyards Short Listed for Shipbuilding Program

Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. (VSY), part of the Washington Marine Group Shipyards Division, has cleared the first hurdle in the government selection process to be one of two shipyards to build the country’s future Naval and Coast Guard fleet. The Federal Government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) program is worth approximately $35b to the Canadian shipbuilding industry and represents a solid investment in building replacement ships for the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard. An award of this nature would be significant for the West Coast shipbuilding industry, creating predictable work for a period of over 30 years. It would also allow further investment in the people, processes and equipment needed to revitalize the shipbuilding industry in British Columbia (BC).

28 Sep 2010

Seaspan: Orders 4 New Tugs for Vancouver

Seaspan International announced the largest tug build commitment of a single class of vessels in over 35 years. The company signed a contract with Sanmar Denizcilik Shipyard, of Istanbul Turkey; to build four state-of-the-art ship assist tugs. The prime duties for these tugs will be to dock, undock and escort ships in Vancouver Harbor and Roberts Bank. The RAstar 28 m tugs will feature full fire fighting capability and upon arrival will be amongst the most powerful vessels to sail BC waters.

17 May 2010

Canadian Shipbuilding: East against West

According to a May 16 report from the Vancouver Sun, the Harper government is expected to release its long-term shipbuilding strategy in the coming weeks, creating two national centers to handle billions of dollars worth of contracts. The strategy could spark a high-stakes game pitting West Coast firms against East Coast companies in a winner-take-all contest. Vancouver-based Washington Marine Group and J.D. Irving on the East Coast will be asked to submit proposals to become the “center of excellence” for building combat ships such as the Arctic patrol vessels and the fleet of vessels that will eventually replace the navy’s Halifax-class frigates. Victoria Shipyards is owned by Washington Marine Group, as are Vancouver Drydock and Vancouver Shipyards.

14 Apr 2010

WMG & Thales Teaming Agreement Signed

Washington Marine Group (WMG) announced the signing of a Teaming Agreement with Thales Canada forming a strategic alliance to provide the Government of Canada a single solution for the future build and in service support of the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS). The AOPS program is worth over $2b dollars, delivering six ice breaking patrol vessels to the Canadian Navy, as part of the Federal Government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). It will provide 700 to 800 skilled jobs to BC shipbuilders and 40 to 60 high technology jobs, in Ontario. WMG is currently supplying in service support for the Canadian submarine fleet, Mid Life extension for Canadian Patrol Frigates, and building Motorized Lifeboats for the Canadian Coast Guard.

30 Nov 2009

Victoria Shipyards Acquires CME Assets

Washington Marine Group announced that it has acquired substantially all of the Victoria-based assets of Canadian Maritime Engineering (CME). CME has operated a ship repair business at the Esquimalt Graving dock since 2004. The CME assets include a large shop, shipyard machinery and equipment, which Victoria Shipyards (VSL) will utilize in the execution of the Frigate Life Extension program (FELEX) for the Canadian Navy. In addition to the CME assets, VSL will be purchasing a number of other mobile buildings in the coming months to provide the necessary facilities to support the FELEX team and to efficiently serve customer. (www.washingtonmarinegroup.com)

30 Jul 2009

PacifiCat Ferries Sold

The Washington Marine Group of Companies announced that is has sold the three PacifiCat ferries to foreign buyer, Abu Dhabi Mar, for export from Canada. The details of the transaction are confidential. The three ferries will be transported from Vancouver Harbour via heavy lift deep-sea vessel. The first is scheduled to depart next month. (www.washingtonmarinegroup.com)

10 Dec 2008

Webb, Christopher Join Robert Allan Ltd.

Robert Allan Ltd. announced the recent appointment of two senior staff members. Roland (Rollie) Webb has been appointed as Manager, New Construction. Webb comes to Robert Allan Ltd. with many years of shipbuilding and management experience across Canada and in the United States. From 1993 to 2003, Web was President of Todd Pacific Shipyard Corporation, Seattle, WA, and most recently was President, Shipyards at Washington Marine Group, Vancouver, BC. Webb will be responsible for the overall management of our numerous new vessel construction projects around the world. David H.

12 Aug 2003

Seaspan Container Lines Expands

Seaspan Container Lines has placed an order for nine new 4,250 TEU container ships. The new ships will be chartered to the Canadian shipping company, CP Ships. “It is an honor for us to expand our customer base to include CP Ships. Their people, performance, and history are all first class. We are extremely excited about this new relationship,” said Kyle Washington, CEO and chairman of the Washington Marine Group. The new ships will be built at Samsung Heavy Industries, in South Korea. Gerry Wang, director, Sea Span Container Lines said, “this continues our very strong partnership with Samsung. This is the 36th large containership Seaspan has ordered from Samsung Heavy Industries over the past three years.

07 Oct 2003

Investment in Design: Integrity in a New Era

As the first containerships officially credited with capacities topping 8,000-TEU, the series of newbuilds ordered at the start of the year by Vancouver-based Seaspan for long-term charter to China Shipping Group embodies a design, which has been the subject of the most thorough structural analysis. The boxship sector has always been characterized by a propensity for driving developments to the limits of technical possibility. Its outstanding structural safety record over the years is testament to the industry's unflagging efforts to ensure long-term vessel integrity in combination with advancing scale. The considered technical approach expressed in current projects in the 8…

31 May 2002

Vancover Shipyards and Washington Marine Sign Contract with Acomarin

Vancouver Shipyards together with their parent corporation Washington Marine Group has signed a contract with Acomarin Engineering to purchase their JAK-400 Pushpin® ATB coupling system. Much research went into the decision as to which ATB coupling system would best fit their needs. Acomarin’s JAK-400 Pushpin® coupling system is one of the lightest ATB coupling systems on the market making it an easy retro fit to any tugboat and barge. Acomarin was also able to offer the fastest delivery time by supplying the complete system in less than 8 weeks. Both of these reasons were important factors in the decision for Washington Marine Group and Vancouver Shipyards.

13 Jul 2006

BC Ferries Signs $45.5m Deal to Build New Ferry

BC Ferries has signed a $45.5m Contract to construct a new intermediate-sized ferry slated for the Saltery Bay-Earls Cove route. Construction of the 125-car, 600 passenger, 328-ft. vessel will begin later this year at Vancouver Shipyards, a Washington Marine Group company, in North Vancouver. The design includes a lounge, snack bar and a new state-of-the-art lifesaving system. The ship is expected to enter service initially on the Saltery Bay route by the summer of 2008. Originally the new vessel was slotted to go to Bowen Island. The new vessel will allow BC Ferries to retire the 46-year-old Queen of Tsawwassen, the summer vessel on the route linking Powell River to the Sechelt peninsula.

07 Jul 2006

Vancouver Shipyards to Build New Ferry

BC Ferries announced that it has signed a $45.5m contract with Vancouver Shipyards, a Washington Marine Group company, to build a new 125-car intermediate size ferry. Construction on the 328-ft. will begin later this year and the ship is expected to enter service by the summer of 2008. The new intermediate vessel will allow for the retirement of the 46-year old Queen of Tsawwassen. Over the next five years, BC Ferries will add eight new vessels at a cost of $1b to ensure the continued safety and reliability of the fleet.

07 Jul 2006

Vancouver Shipyards to Build New Ship in North Vancouver

BC Ferries announced that it has signed a $41m contract with Vancouver Shipyards, a Washington Marine Group company, to build a new 125-car intermediate size ferry. Construction on the 100 m vessel will begin later this year and the ship is expected to enter service by the summer of 2008. The new intermediate vessel will allow for the retirement of the 46-year-old Queen of Tsawwassen. The new ship will initially sail on the Earls Cove - Saltery Bay route on the Sunshine Coast. vessel includes a comfortable lounge, a snack bar and a new state-of-the-art lifesaving system. The process for selecting the successful builder was started last year with 14 shipyards invited to participate in the prequalification process for the intermediate vessel…

21 Dec 2005

Vancouver Considers Bringing Back Fast Cat Ferries

The CEO of the Washington Marine Group is downplaying environmental concerns as he considers the idea of bringing back the Fast Cat ferries to work a Vancouver to Nanaimo run, CKNW News Talk reports. The vessels would be run at a slower speed than previously, and officials say that improvements have been made since they were first introduced and that the Fast Cats wouldn't do any environmental damage that isn't already being done by current service. Washington Marine could have an answer within six weeks on whether to go ahead with this plan. Source: CKNW News Talk

18 Dec 2002

Coquitlam Begins Upgrade

The Queen of Coquitlam left for Vancouver Drydock this morning to begin a major upgrade as part of a strategy to improve operational efficiency on the services between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo. The Washington Marine Group of Vancouver was awarded the contract to upgrade the 26-year-old Queen of Coquitlam following an international competitive bidding process. The Queen of Coquitlam, built in 1976, is one of five double-ended vessels that operate on major routes between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. The vessel will undergo extraordinary maintenance, regulatory compliance modifications and renovation of the restaurant and passenger accommodation to prepare the vessel for an additional 20 years of service.

04 Dec 2002

Vancouver Shipyards Solves the Oily Wastewater Problem

By Rob Stephenson and Bruce Tennant, McKay Creek Tech.; and Don Hartle and George Geatros Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. Vancouver Shipyards is part of the Washington Marine Group, the largest shipbuilding, ship maintenance and repair, and marine transportation company in Canada. Inherent to this scale of operation, the Washington Marine Group generates large quantities of emulsified oily wastewater. Managing the oily bilge water, ballast water, fuel/slop tanks, tank wash water from gas freeing operations, and wastewater from pressure washing machinery was becoming a big and expensive problem at Vancouver Shipyards. Both salt and fresh wastewaters are contaminated with emulsified oil and grease…

28 Oct 2002

Big Power for Z-drive Barge

Seaspan Coastal Intermodal of the Washington Marine Group put a new trailer-carrying push-barge into operation in late summer. It is the second that they have built to this design and they have made a few upgrades. The original barge was connected in as an articulated-tug-barge (ATB) unit with a friction pad system. On arrival at Seaspan's associated company Vancouver Shipyards, from the builders in China, the new barge had sets of solid steel pads welded into place in the stern notch. Each of the port and starboard pads includes three vertically distributed 400 mm diameter receptor holes for the air-over-hydraulic pins that had been retrofitted to the tug, Seaspan Challenger. This JAK-400 ATB system provides a powerful positive lock for the ATB. The new barge, at 456 x 82 ft.