Seaspan to Expand Vancouver Ship Repair Operations
Seaspan is investing to upgrade and expand its Vancouver Drydock infrastructure to help grow the company’s ship repair and maintenance operations and to better serve the Pacific Northwest.
Seaspan received permit approval from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) in October 2023 to extend its North Vancouver drydock facilities to increase capacity and service additional vessels.
The upgrades, which include a drydock expansion, a new operations building and a complete overhaul of the current careen deck, will increase Seaspan’s capacity for ship repair projects by about 30%, and will result in approximately 100 new jobs, the company said.
The drydock expansion includes extending Seaspan’s current water lot by 40 meters and the addition of two new smaller drydocks and a floating work pontoon to the west of the two existing drydocks.
Construction is expected to commence soon and is expected to be complete by late 2024, with the drydocks and work pontoon arriving by water fully assembled.
The new operations building for Seaspan’s growing workforce is designed to accommodate up to 300 people over two shifts. Vancouver Drydock currently has a team of about 200 people who complete maintenance, repair and refit on more than 50 vessel projects per year, including tugs, ferries, large freighters, Canadian Coast Guard vessels, cruise ships, fishing vessels and barges. The shipyard has been running at or near capacity for several years.
“Seaspan Vancouver Drydock plays an integral role in supporting the West Coast marine industry and creating long-term work for BC’s skilled workforce. By investing in improvements to better use our land and the space within our water lots, we will be able to serve more customers, create new jobs and harness new economic activity for our communities,” said Paul Hebson, Vice President and General Manager of Vancouver Drydock. “The input and feedback we gathered during the public engagement process for the drydock expansion allowed us to develop meaningful measures to address concerns and helped us created a stronger, more responsive project.”
The project is subject to 61 conditions that address the impacts of noise, air emissions and lighting. Seaspan said it has committed to implementing several mitigation measures to its existing operation, as well as to the expanded facilities.