Seaspan’s Welding Center Earns ISO Accreditation

Seaspan’s Welding Center Earns ISO Accreditation

North Vancouver shipbuilder Seaspan has garnered an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accreditation for the Welding Centre of Excellence (COE) laboratory at its Vancouver Shipyards location, the company announced Jan. 27. The accreditation, which shows the lab’s competency in conducting mechanical testing, makes Seaspan the only Canadian shipyard with an onsite ISO-accredited laboratory. “We’ve been supporting welding procedures testing for the Polar Icebreaker, as well as material testing for Victoria Shipyards with witnesses from the appropriate governing bodies ensuring the validity of our results,” Hassan Saghafifar, supervisor of the Seaspan Shipyards welding and material testing lab said. “Now, we can…
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Seaspan-Built Royal Canadian Navy Support Ship Receives Name

Seaspan-Built Royal Canadian Navy Support Ship Receives Name

The HMCS Protecteur is the name of the Royal Canadian Navy’s newest Joint Support Ship built by North Vancouver, B.C.-based vessel manufacturer Seaspan Shipyards, making it the longest naval ship built in Canada at roughly 569 feet. Seaspan announced Dec. 13 that it had designed, built and launched the vessel, one of two ships replacing the former Protecteur-class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessels. The Protecteur and sister Joint Support Ship HMCS Preserver were designed to be nimble to serve multiple purposes and able to integrate with any Canadian or allied naval task group, according to Seaspan. The two warships “will significantly…
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Seaspan Marine Making Leadership Changes

Seaspan Marine Making Leadership Changes

Beginning Jan. 1, new leaders are expected to take the helm at Vancouver, B.C.-based ship design, engineering, building and repair company Seaspan. Jordan Pechie is slated to become the president of Seaspan Marine Transportation, while Harly Penner has been named president of Seaspan Energy, it was announced Dec. 2. Pechie, who serves as senior vice president at Seaspan Marine, takes the reins from Derek Ollmann, who is set to become chief executive officer of transportation for Seaspan parent The Washington Companies. A Master Mariner, Pechie brings more than 19 years of maritime industry and leadership experience to the top role.…
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Seaspan Energy Gains LNG Bunkering Accreditation

Seaspan Energy Gains LNG Bunkering Accreditation

Seaspan Energy now has a liquefied natural gas bunkering accreditation that allows it to provide ship-to-ship LNG bunkering for vessels calling at the Port of Vancouver, the British Columbia-based company announced Nov. 18. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority issued the LNG bunkering accreditation after a multi-year process with Seaspan -- a first for the port authority. Seaspan Energy intends to operate three 367-foot-long LNG bunkering vessels: the Seaspan Garibaldi, the Seaspan Lions and the Seaspan Baker. Garibaldi and Lions are expected to come online soon to offer LNG bunkering services to the North American West Coast, the company said. Seaspan…
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Washington Foundation, Seaspan Invest in Maritime Training Center Project

Washington Foundation, Seaspan Invest in Maritime Training Center Project

The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and shipbuilding company Seaspan have made a $5.26 million donation to the creation of a training center in British Columbia dedicated to marine trades education and workforce development, the North Vancouver, B.C. shipbuilder announced Oct. 31. The Trades Training Centre, as it is to be known, is planned to be built at Camosun College’s Coastal Centre in Esquimalt, B.C., near Victoria Shipyards, and would include modern classrooms and adaptable shop spaces, according to the announcement. “This investment will ensure the next generation of skilled tradespeople are supported and ready to meet the future challenges…
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Seaspan Completes CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier Vessel Life Extension

Seaspan Completes CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier Vessel Life Extension

Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock facility confirmed Sept. 12 that the Canadian Coast Guard’s CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s Vessel Life Extension project has been completed, wrapping up one of the biggest, most complicated ship repair and overhaul projects the drydock has tackled. The project to modernize the 272-foot-long CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, one of six CCG-operated Martha Black-class icebreakers, took more than 100 separate upgrades, according to Seaspan. The work included replacing the ship’s three 2100kW generator sets and propulsion drive cycloconverters, repairing and refitting the rudder and shafting and installing a new towing bollard with new underdeck structure and a new…
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Seaspan Shipyards to Build Polar Icebreakers for Canadian Coast Guard

Seaspan Shipyards to Build Polar Icebreakers for Canadian Coast Guard

British Columbia-based Seaspan Shipyards is set to build the first of two new heavy polar icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard later this year, the company revealed Aug. 21. So far, about 80% of the functional design for the icebreaker has been completed, with production design on schedule to support cutting steel in late 2024, according to Seaspan. When completed, the polar icebreaker is expected to be 158 meters (518 feet) long and 28 (about 92 feet) meters wide, and can accommodate up to 100 people. “It will be able to operate farther north, in more difficult ice conditions and…
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Seaspan Launches Canadian Coast Guard Science Vessel

Seaspan Launches Canadian Coast Guard Science Vessel

Seaspan Shipyards has launched the Canadian Coast Guard’s flagship science vessel the CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, its fourth vessel built under the country’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, the North Vancouver, British Columbia, shipmaker said Aug. 19. The 88-meter-long (289-foot) Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel is a floating laboratory that’s expected to further the study of ocean currents and seabed in Atlantic Canada. The vessel, which is set to be based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is a Polar Class 6 vessel with advanced ice capabilities. It can carry as many as 34 crew members and 26 scientists, and is capable of conducting search and…
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Seaspan Responder Marine Fire Simulator Launches in North Vancouver, B.C.

Seaspan Responder Marine Fire Simulator Launches in North Vancouver, B.C.

Firefighters and rescue teams in Canada are now able to practice responding to a fire aboard a vessel with the help of a new marine fire simulator funded by Seaspan Shipyards, the North Vancouver, British Columbia-based company announced July 17. The Seaspan Responder, a simulator built from shipping containers made to look like a tugboat, is available at the Maplewood Fire and Rescue Centre, the District of North Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services’ new headquarters. North Shore firefighters will be able to train on the three-story structure, which mimics “the confined space and intricate layout of a multi-story vessel,” and…
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Seaspan Developing Canada’s First Heavy Polar Icebreaker in 60 Years

Seaspan Developing Canada’s First Heavy Polar Icebreaker in 60 Years

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards is in the process of developing Canada’s first heavy polar icebreaker in more than six decades. At Canada’s Global Defense & Security Trade Show on May 29, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company gave defense and security representatives an update on its progress. Seaspan said more than 70% of the vessel’s functional design is complete, while the vessel’s 3D modeling is “well advanced,” paving the way for Seaspan to cut steel for the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaker vessel before the end of 2024. The 158-meter-long IACS Polar Class 2 (PC2) Heavy Icebreaker is designed to accommodate up to…
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