Vancouver Shipyards News

The Canadian government on Tuesday announced it has awarded a pair of contracts to Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. (VSY) to initiate the next stages of procuring the first flight of Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPV) for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).These contracts, which are worth $490.6 million combined (taxes included), following completion of the vessel’s basic design review in late 2023 and allow VSY to undertake pre-construction work, such as selecting specific pieces of equipment…

Seaspan Shipyards announced it has completed construction of the ‘Prototype Block’ for the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) Polar Icebreaker program. Construction of this Prototype Block ensures that Seaspan has the proper processes, procedures, equipment and skills necessary to build the first heavy Polar Icebreaker in Canada in more than 60 years.Seaspan said it developed and built the Prototype Block to ensure that its production teams are fully prepared to cut steel on the Polar Icebreaker in late 2024.

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers, owned by S&B, announced it has appointed Amer Kalla as director of production design, based in Houston."We are excited to have Amer Kalla join the TAI team. His wealth of experience and expertise will play a crucial role in advancing our production design capabilities and contributing to the success of our projects,” said Kris Karri, senior vice president of operations and chief engineer at TAI Engineers. “Kalla will be responsible for TAI’s global production design team in the U.S.

Seaspan Shipyards on Tuesday cut steel to build a “prototype block” marking a critical step in the Vancouver, B.C. shipyard’s Polar Icebreaker Program.Seaspan, which is designing and building the first heavy Polar Icebreaker in Canada in more than 60 years, said assembling the prototype block before full rate construction will allow it to test the new systems, processes, people and tools that are required to work with some of the very thick, specialized steel that needed to manufacture the complex vessel.

Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards announced on Monday it has cut steel and started full-rate construction of the newest oceanographic science research vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.The 88-meter Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) is being built under Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) at Seaspan’s multi-program Vancouver Shipyard concurrently with the first Joint Support Ship (JSS) for the Royal Canadian Navy.The OOSV will support oceanographic…

Two Canadian shipyards have joined forces in a bid for the contract to deliver the next polar icebreaker under Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).Seaspan Shipyards (Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd.) and Heddle Shipyards (Heddle Marine Service Inc.) announced Tuesday they will big as partners to build the Canadian Coast Guard’s future polar icebreaker to replace the decades old CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent by 2029.Under the terms of their exclusive teaming agreement, if Seaspan Shipyards is awarded the Polar Icebreaker…

The future Capt. Jacques Cartier, the second of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV) to be designed and built by Seaspan at its Vancouver Shipyards (VSY), began sea trials on October 10, 2019 from Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock where final outfitting, set to work and commissioning has taken place since its launch in June.“With the future Capt. Jacques Cartier headed out to sea today, excitement in our NSS program is growing,” said Mark Lamarre, CEO, Seaspan Shipyards.

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has announced the appointment of James Clarke as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). With more than 15 years of senior finance experience in engineering and industrial environments Mr. Clarke brings his strong background in strategic finance to Seaspan’s growing shipbuilding and ship repair operations.Clarke joins Seaspan from the Houston, Texas, office of SNC Lavalin where he was the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance for the Oil and Gas Division with operations in the Americas, Middle East, and Australia.

The Government of Canada is officially launching a competitive process, through an Invitation to Qualify, to add a third Canadian shipyard as a strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This new shipyard will build the new program icebreakers for the Coast Guard.The Coast Guard provides critical icebreaking services to ensure commercial ships and ferries have access to Canadian ports during the winter time, and supports summer re-supply activities in Canada’s Arctic.

The federal government of Canada announced $1.5 billion in contracts to keep a dozen warships running for another 20 years as part of Canada’s decades-long, multi-billion-dollar national shipbuilding strategy.The National Shipbuilding Strategy is a long-term project to renew Canada's federal fleet of combat and non-combat vessels."We formed partnerships with two Canadian shipyards to deliver much-needed vessels to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard. The strategy provides economic benefits to Canadians and rebuilds our country’s shipbuilding industry," said a statement from the government.Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), the government has formed partnerships with the two shipyards, Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said Canada would spend an estimated C$15.7 billion ($11.7 billion) to renew its coast guard fleet and that it would partner with a new shipyard to complete the project.Two Arctic icebreakers will be among a total of 18 new ships ordered, Trudeau told reporters in Vancouver. They will be built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax on the east coast, while 16 multi-purpose vessels will be built by Vancouver Shipyards on the west coast."Our…

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has awarded L3 MAPPS a contract for work on Canada’s new Joint Support Ships (JSS).According to a press release, the award is one of several to be announced for Canadian suppliers supporting Seaspan’s work on naval supply ships under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This work will contribute to Seaspan fulfilling its Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy commitments.Based in Montreal, L3 MAPPS will provide the globally deployed Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for JSS. The IPMS will use advanced computer-based technology to control and monitor platform machinery and systems on board JSS…

There’s a shipbuilding resurgence underway in Canada that’s being driven by a long-term multibillion dollar government initiative to rebuild the federal fleet of Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard vessels and breathe new life into the country’s shipbuilding industry. Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards is an active player.Under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), the Vancouver, B.C. shipbuilder was selected in 2011 to deliver several types of large non-combat vessels for the Navy and Coast Guard…

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) appointed Jari Anttila as Chief Operating Officer (COO), who has more than 25 years of experience in shipbuilding and industrial operations. Previously with Philly Shipyard Inc. where he served as Senior Vice President, Anttila has considerable experience in successfully leading organizations through large shipbuilding projects. Prior to joining Philly Shipyards Inc., he held positions as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President with Meyer Turku and its predecessors in Finland. Mr. Anttila has contributed to the successful delivery of dozens of vessels.At Seaspan, he will drive organizational excellence and operational efficiency by ensuring that the necessary controls, procedures, and systems are in place.

Canada’s shipbuilding and ship repair company Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan), joined by representatives from industry and government,  celebrated the start of construction on the first Joint Support Ship (JSS) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The steel cutting ceremony held at Vancouver Shipyards is a significant milestone for Seaspan, the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and Canada’s shipbuilding industry. With the start of construction on JSS, Seaspan is leading the way in rebuilding Canada’s shipbuilding industry. In addition, start of construction ensures that Seaspan will see the continued growth of Vancouver Shipyards’ workforce while mitigating any possible downturn in production.

SSI CEO Darren Larkins, together with President & CTO Denis Morais, acquired ownership of the shipbuilding software development company from founder Rolf Oetter effective March 1, 2018. The two longtime employees have been managing SSI for the past seven years and have been entrenched in all aspects of the company’s day-to-day operations for even longer. Larkins, SSI’s fifth employee in 1999, said that through the years he and Morais have done “pretty much everything that SSI does at some point.” He added…

Seaspan Shipyards officially opened its new 7,800 square meter office at the foot of Pemberton Avenue on the south western spit of the property near Seaspan’s current offices in North Vancouver, B.C. The new building, which provides space for approximately 390 employees, will serve primarily as a collaborative space for Vancouver Shipyards to execute preproduction work as a strategic partner to the Government of Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Seaspan Shipyards…

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) has appointed Jim Corr as Vice President – Planning & Estimating. Corr joined VSY in January 2017 as a consultant, and in June 2017 was promoted to Vice President, Planning & Estimating. In this role, Corr is responsible for providing leadership and direction on network planning, detail planning and production control, as well as estimating for new ship construction. planning/scheduling, Integrated Master Scheduling, Lean Six Sigma, engineering planning, process development and pre-production processes.

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards has appointed Tony Tinto to Vice President, Planning & Estimating. Tony joined Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) in 2006 as a Project Manager, before moving over to affiliate company Vancouver Drydock in 2007 in a similar capacity. In 2012, Tony returned to VSY as Director, Planning & Production Control, and was appointed to the role of interim Vice President, Planning & Estimating in November 2016. Prior to his arrival at Seaspan in 2006, Tony worked as a Design & Engineering Manager for Westbay SonShip & Yachts. As part of the Seaspan Shipyards senior leadership team, Tony is responsible for providing leadership and direction on network planning, detail planning and production control, as well as estimating for new ship construction.

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards has announced the appointment of Tony Tinto to Vice President, Planning & Estimating. Tinto joined Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) in 2006 as a Project Manager, before moving over to affiliate company Vancouver Drydock in 2007 in a similar capacity. In 2012, Tinto  returned to VSY as Director, Planning & Production Control, and was appointed to the role of interim Vice President, Planning & Estimating in November 2016. Prior to his arrival at Seaspan in 2006, Tinto worked as a Design & Engineering Manager for Westbay SonShip & Yachts.

On behalf of its Board of Directors, Seaspan ULC (Seaspan) announced today that long-serving Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jonathan Whitworth, will be retiring at the end of 2017. Jonathan announced to the Board in 2016 his timeline to retirement. A search for his successor immediately commenced and Seaspan is also pleased to announce that Frank Butzelaar, President and CEO of a related company, Southern Rail Link (SRY), has been identified as Jonathan’s permanent replacement effective April 3, 2017. Frank’s transition will commence on March 3 and he will continue to work closely with Jonathan throughout 2017 to ensure a smooth handover.

Steve Roth has been promoted to President of Seaspan Ferries Corporation (SFC). In this position, Steve will continue to have the primary accountability for the overall performance of the SFC business unit, including management of day-to-day operations of SFC, as well as the short and long-term strategic planning processes, including setting and fulfilling revenue and profitability targets and maintaining relationships with all stakeholders. He is also responsible for ensuring that customer service expectations are met or exceeded while ensuring the safe operation of SFC’s vessels…

Canada's Coast Guard mulls its options as it awaits the arrival of replacement icebreakers to its aging fleet. In order to maintain open tracks through ice, escort ships, free ice-beset vessels, break up ice in harbors, resupply isolated northern communities and protect them from flooding, the Canadian Coast Guard operates a fleet of 14 vitally important icebreakers, many of which are nearing the end of their operating lives. Some, built as far back as the 1960s and 1970s, have already exceeded their intended years of service.