Seaspan Shipyards News

The quest to rebuild the U.S. icebreaker fleet is an international affair, and part of the project centers on Jim Carr, SVP Engineering, Seaspan Shipyards, and his team that is serving as a design and expertise hinge for construction of the USCG Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program to be built at Rauma Marine Constructions and Bollinger Shipyards. Carr has had a long and distinguished career across major U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, and he shares with Maritime Matters insights on the promise and challenges…

In a move that underscores the accelerating adoption of robotics in shipbuilding, Seaspan Shipyards has awarded a $1.5 million contract to Alberta-based Confined Space Robotics (CSR) to develop and integrate semiautonomous robotic systems for blast and paint operations.Surface preparation and coating are core processes in both newbuild and complex repair and overhaul programs, particularly in submarine work where confined spaces and hazardous materials present heightened safety risks.

TKMS and Seaspan, Canada’s largest shipbuilding, design and repair company, have signed a Teaming Agreement to collaborate in support of the Government of Canada’s objective to achieve a sovereign capability for the sustainment and through-life support of naval ships. The collaboration focuses on the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) with potential further opportunities arising from TKMS’s international customers and programs. This agreement is the latest in a string of…

The quest to rebuild the U.S. iceabreaking fleet continues to move at lightening speed, with Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) signing agreements with Bollinger Shipyards (Bollinger) and Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (Rauma) to provide its Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design and associated supply chain packages to enable rapid construction and delivery of up to six vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program.Rauma will build up to two vessels in Finland with delivery expected in 2028 under the contracts formally announced by the U.S. Coast Guard last week.

Seaspan Shipyards has officially delivered the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).The OOSV is the fourth large vessel, and second class of ship, to be built and delivered by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is named after a well-respected elder from Nunavik who was a renowned promoter of Inuit language and culture.The ship will replace CCGS Hudson, which was decommissioned…

Seaspan Shipyards has entered into a contract with Ideal Welders for the fabrication of 30 blocks of the new heavy Polar Icebreaker that Seaspan is building for the Canadian Coast Guard.Seaspan and Ideal Welders have had a long-standing, successful partnership — Ideal Welders has constructed many components of the ships Seaspan has built, including the bulbous bows of both Joint Support Ships, HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver.Seaspan cut steel on the new Polar Icebreaker in April 2025.

Seaspan Shipyards has awarded a contract to Elomatic Consulting, an international consulting and engineering company, to provide engineering and design support services for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Polar Icebreaker build contract.As one of the primary partners throughout the functional and production design phases of the Polar project, the award further strengthens Elomatic’s ongoing partnership with Seaspan.Under the contract, Elomatic will provide build design support, ensuring…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb sealed an agreement on Thursday for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire up to 11 icebreaker ships to bolster U.S. national security in the Arctic.Trump and Stubb have established friendly ties since Trump regained power in January, and the two met in March at the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and played a round of golf.The two leaders approved a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation that is intended to lay the foundation for commercial agreements between the U.S.

Seaspan Shipyards has signed a contract with Newfoundland-based Genoa Design International to provide technical design services for the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker.Under the deal, Genoa will expand its workforce to more than 100 naval architecture and marine systems designers as it supports the vessel’s design and build phases at Vancouver Shipyards, as part of the agreement that extends a long-standing partnership between the two Canadian firms.The new heavy polar icebreaker will be the first of its kind built in Canada in over 60 years.

Finnish propulsion expert Steerprop and Seaspan Shipyards have expanded their collaboration on Canada’s next-generation polar icebreaker.Initially selected in late 2023 to supply two advanced ice-classed bow thrusters for the new flagship vessel, Steerprop will now also support the integration of the tunnel thruster into the vessel, ensuring hydrodynamic performance, smoother coordination with the shipyard, and reduced lifecycle costs. Seaspan’s heavy polar icebreaker is one of…

Joël Lightbound, Canada’s Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, and the Honourable Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement), have announced that the Government of Canada has identified German company Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Korean company Hanwha Ocean as the two qualified suppliers for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).Delivery of the first Canadian Patrol Submarine is expected no later than 2035.The new submarine fleet will be deployable in the Arctic with extended range and endurance that will provide stealth…

The owner of Canadian firm Davie Shipbuilding said on Wednesday that the key to winning a contract to build icebreakers for the United States is to develop local shipbuilding capacity there.Davie said in June it was acquiring Texas shipyards in Galveston and Port Arthur, and on Wednesday Alex Vicefield, CEO of Davie's holding company British Inocea Group, said for the first time that the shipbuilder is bidding for the contract from the U.S. administration."It's under discussion how they (the U.S.) would want to do it, but certainly, the key to it is you have to develop U.S.

The military and Coast Guard budgets are established that will benefit the U.S. ship building and repair sector, but what will stimulate the commercial yards?This author has been scratching his head of late, after a thrilling dive into July’s U.S. Big Beautiful Bill Act, and has asked several colleagues where the funding for support commercial shipbuilding can be found? To answer that, we need to look elsewhere and to future programs.Setting the SceneMany column inches have been dedicated to the decline U.S. shipbuilding, whether signaled by the relatively small presence of a U.S.

In a major move to accelerate the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet expansion, Bollinger Shipyards, Rauma Shipyards, Seaspan Shipyards, and Aker Arctic announced a partnership to deliver next-generation Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) under the Coast Guard’s multibillion-dollar icebreaker program.The collaboration combines U.S., Canadian, and Finnish shipbuilding expertise to meet the Coast Guard’s urgent Arctic mission requirements. Backed by nearly $9 billion in funding secured under President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”…

Terma A/S, a leader in surveillance radar technology, has partnered with Sperry Marine, a manufacturer and service provider of marine navigation systems, to deliver the SCANTER 4603 and SCANTER 6002 series of naval surveillance radar to Seaspan Shipyards for the upcoming Canadian Coast Guard’s Multi-Purpose Icebreaker and Polar Icebreaker Programs.This milestone underscores the ongoing partnership between Sperry Marine and Terma A/S and the two companies’ commitment to empowering the Canadian Coast Guard with radar technology designed for precision situational awareness…

Seaspan Shipyards has cut steel on the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new heavy polar icebreaker, marking the first time a heavy polar icebreaker has been built in Canada in more than 60 years.It will play a critical role in enabling the Canadian Coast Guard to transit and operate on more than 162,000 kilometers of Arctic coastline.The Polar Class 2 icebreaker will help sustain a 12-month presence in Canada’s North in support of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, high-Arctic science (including climate change research)…

Scottish shipbuilder Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) has appointed a Graeme Thomson as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).Graeme will officially take up the position on May 1, 2025, following on from former interim CEO, John Petticrew.Graeme joins Ferguson Marine from international aerospace, defense and nuclear engineering services business, Babcock, where he has been Programme Director since 2019, overseeing the delivery of the Type 31 Royal Navy frigate program.Prior to joining Babcock…

Seaspan Shipyards has announced a $5 million investment in Novarc Technologies Inc., a North Vancouver-based full-stack AI robotics company specializing in the design and manufacturing of automated welding solutions.The funding will fuel product development and commercialization of AI-driven solutions which promise to increase industrial productivity.Seaspan has been a strategic partner and early adopter of Novarc’s welding automation technology since 2017, when it invested $500…

A new era in Canadian shipbuilding is underway as Seaspan Shipyards has been awarded the contract to build one of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) next-generation heavy polar icebreakers. This landmark project, part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), will reinforce Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, economic development, and scientific research capabilities while marking a historic revival of domestic polar shipbuilding.“Today’s contract signing is the next step in our journey of fulfilling the vision of the National Shipbuilding Strategy…

Seaspan Shipyards, Canada’s long-term, strategic shipbuilding partner for large, complex vessels under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, and the Royal Canadian Navy have reached an important milestone for the first Joint Support Ship, HMCS Protecteur.Seaspan will be holding a naming ceremony and celebration for the upcoming launch for the JSS at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources; Vice Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy; and John McCarthy, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards, will participate in the ceremonial event and be available to media following the formal program.The Joint Support Ships will replace the former Protecteur-class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessels.

Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) launched the Canadian Coast Guard’s flagship science vessel, CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk.The fourth ship designed, built and launched by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) is a floating laboratory that will serve as the primary oceanographic science platform for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. As a Polar Class 6 vessel, it will be a highly advanced ice capable ship equipped with the latest scientific research systems.

The Canadian Coast Guard has launched a new offshore oceanographic science vessel to be named the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Naalak Nappaaluk.As the Canadian Coast Guard’s largest dedicated science vessel, the new ship will provide increased capability and capacity to support ocean science missions on Canada’s east coast. It will accommodate up to 34 crew and 26 Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists and will be stationed at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth…

Vestdavit landed its biggest-ever order, a deal to deliver  davits for six multi-purpose vessels being built for the Canadian Coast Guard at Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver. It will initially provide a total of six FF-15000 davit systems - one for each vessel - with options for another 10 units. This follow an order that it won last year with Seaspan to supply RHIB davits for the Polar Icebreaker also under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard.The hydraulically operated FF-15000…