Seaspan Invests $140 Million in Outfitting Pier to Speed Up Construction
Seaspan is seeking to secure its competitive advantage in Canada’s shipbuilding following the completion of an outfitting pier at its Vancouver shipyards. The pier provides the company with extra capacity, giving it the required muscle to battle for large navy and coast guard vessels contracts that Canada is implementing through its National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).
Constructed in partnership with design and engineering firm Stantec, the new pier measures 890 feet by 60 feet. The steel and concrete facility is designed with heavy load capacity and environmental safeguards, and it replaces a timber pier that has been in existence for six decades.
Of critical importance is the fact that the facility is engineered to support the demands of heavy outfitting operations and is resilient to future sea level rise considerations, extreme storm surge events, and seismic hazards in one of Canada’s highest seismic zones.
Utilization of the new pier has already begun, with Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) joint support ship (JSS) HMCS Protecteur currently being outfitted at the facility. Protecteur is the largest of two JSS vessels that are being built under the NSS and will replace the auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels that have reached the end of their operational lives.
Delivery of the ship has been delayed by six months from the end of this year to 2026 due to what has been described as “requiring more production effort”. With a length of 173.7 meters, Protecteur is the longest naval vessel to ever be built in Canada. Construction of the second ship, Preserver, remains on schedule with delivery planned for 2027.
Seaspan highlights that to support key ship outfitting and maintenance operations, the new pier is designed to accommodate integrated tower cranes, civil utilities/drainage, vehicle traffic, service towers, and specialized shipyard equipment with high live and dynamic loads.
The facility is also designed to address potential future needs with crane pockets that can be configured in different ways to support outfitting and production, as well as different shore power capabilities to support different ship requirements.
The pier is part of the over $140 million that Seaspan has invested in recent years in shipyard modernization, development of a skilled workforce and state-of-the-art, purpose-built infrastructure to deliver large, complex vessels. Implementation of the project commenced in 2020 with the environmental review permitting process, with construction starting in 2023.
“The new outfitting pier reflects our continued investment in the future and longevity of shipbuilding in British Columbia,” said Julianne Nezgoda, Director – Facilities, Seaspan Shipyards. “With the new pier already in use, Seaspan continues to show it has the facilities and infrastructure to design, build and deliver ships effectively and efficiently on Canada’s West Coast, ensuring the RCN and Coast Guard have the ships they need to protect Canada’s security and sovereignty.”
Seaspan is among yards selected as non-combat shipbuilders under the NSS and continues to bid for major contracts. So far under the NSS, the company has built and launched five ships. More than 20 large vessels, including the Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker, are currently under construction by the company.