Why Work at Seaspan?

Be part of the winning team.

Seaspan is looking for talented employees to apply for rewarding work in the marine transportation and shipbuilding industry in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island — to fill jobs in our operations, ashore, management, service and at-sea teams. Whether you’re a shipbuilder, mariner, tradesperson, project manager, planner, scheduler, engineer, or are a safety, IT or finance professional, you’ll find a fulfilling career at our amazing locations. All Seaspan employees are entitled to:

  • Compensation and benefits that provide an excellent standard of living on Canada’s beautiful West Coast
  • Training, mentorship and broad opportunities for advancement and skills development
  • A progressive work environment that supports health, fitness, safety and diversity
  • Support for families, including child care, scholarships, and summer job placements for your children
  • Job stability—with multiple operations, a wide range of satisfied clients and our $8 billion federal contract, we will be building ships for decades to come
  • A fitness membership for all full-time employees
  • A generous relocation package for eligible positions, to ensure a smooth transition to Vancouver

Explore Job Openings

Core Purpose and Values

A core purpose is that perpetual guiding star on the horizon.

It’s meant to lead and inspire the company and its employees indefinitely. And, relating back to our core purpose, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the shipyard or on the marine side of the business; at the end of the day we are all striving to do just that — Passionately Deliver the Best Marine Solutions. The fact is we all have one thing that binds us together, and that’s passion. A passion for the sea, and a passion for boats — whether sailing on them, building or fixing them, or supporting those who do. A passion to do the job right the first time, a passion to serve our customers as efficiently as possible, and a general overall passion for the marine industry that, we believe, surpasses all others.

The Seaspan Core Values are — Safety, Care, Efficiency and Accountability. Truly, these are a refinement and restatement of values and operating priorities we have held in the past.

Diversity

For more than 100 years, Seaspan has been an important part of the development of British Columbia and its industries—and, in return, we strive to make sure that our organization is always evolving and progressing alongside our home province. We want to be a role model for business, and we have the vision and courage to make change.

Seaspan values diversity, and we work to foster a culture that is respectful, inclusive, and reflective of all the people who live in our region. We are committed to employment equity, and to the elimination of barriers to the successful employment of women, Indigenous people, members of visible minority groups, and persons with disabilities.

To this end, we have established an Employment Equity & Diversity Committee across the organization. The Committee will act as an advisory to Seaspan employees and leadership to help us achieve and maintain a workforce that represents the communities in which we operate. If you have a passion for the sea, for ships and for building a legacy, we invite you to join our diverse team.

Learn More

Career Directions

Seaspan is looking for skilled people to fill roles in all of our work environments:

Our Corporate Services group works out of our head offices in the thriving city of North Vancouver. Our head office team makes sure our entire corporate culture is one of responsibility, progressive strategy, and continuous improvement. We are looking for the best people from across Canada and beyond to join our Corporate Services Group and help maintain our ongoing practices in accountability, corporate responsibility, and the delivery of quality marine services. From our head offices on the West Coast of beautiful British Columbia, our Corporate Services team oversees our operations in the following areas:

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Communications
  • Health, Safety, Environment and Quality
  • Human Resources
  • Information Services
  • Procurement and Supply Chain Management
  • Risk Management

Our marine transport operations require capable and dedicated people to work at sea on our tugs, barges, ferries, and towed vessels. These seagoing positions are exciting careers that offer travel, professional advancement, access to up-to-date equipment, a great team of shipmates, and a unique working life that takes you to all the corners of British Columbia’s breathtaking West Coast and beyond.

As leaders in the marine transportation industry, we make sure we meet the highest standards in safety, healthy worksites, and environmental practices. We have more than a century of experience in the West Coast marine transport industry.

  • Master
  • Mate
  • Engineer
  • Deckhand
  • Cook

All of our seagoing staff members must be members in good standing of their relevant union, and all positions are filled through the applicable union dispatch hall.

Master, Mate, and Engineer positions

Canadian Merchant Service Guild Western Branch
#130-815 First Street
New Westminster BC V3L 2H7
Email: cmsgwb@cmsg.org
Phone: 604-939-8990
Fax: 604-939-8950
www.cmsg-gmmc.ca

Deckhand and Cook positions

Working at Seaspan Ferries:

Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU)
Unit 201 – 267 West Esplanade
North Vancouver BC V7M 1A5
Ph: 604-687-6699
Fax: 604-687-6897
www.seafarers.ca

Working at Seaspan Marine:

International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada
Local 400
120 – 111 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-251-7174
www.ilwu.ca

If you have the dedication and talent and want to be a part of West Coast marine history, join the Seaspan team and begin your adventurous seagoing career.

For more than a century, we have relied on skilled tradespeople to help us lead the marine industry on Canada’s West Coast. Now, we must expand our workforce even further to build new icebreakers, Coast Guard vessels, and support ships for the next 30 years and beyond.

Now is the time to come to Seaspan and apply your skills to making something important, and something that lasts. We need people from all trades to join our team and work with us to build, repair, and refit vessels of all sizes at our Vancouver Shipyards, Victoria Shipyards, and Vancouver Drydock.

Our shipbuilding trades workforce includes:

  • Welders
  • Shipfitters
  • Mechanics/Engine Fitters
  • Painters
  • Labourers
  • Machinists
  • Electricians
  • Pipefitters
  • Riggers
  • Crane Operators
  • Joiners
  • Stagers
  • Sandblasters

Careers in the Shipyards can begin with an apprenticeship for Red Seal trades, or with a job directly in the yard. Working in the trades brings opportunities for you to develop specialized leadership, technical and computer skills​.

Red Seal Shipyard Trades

Apprenticeship is the first step to working in the Red Seal Trades. Details on Seaspan Shipyard trades and how to obtain Red Seal certification for Seaspan Shipyards trades are available in the Apprenticeship Program section of this site. Be aware that most apprenticeships need you complete a Foundations Certificate as a prerequisite (your local college can help with this).

Getting your Red Seal means you are a Ticketed Journeyperson. To be considered for, or progress along the career path, a combination of being Red Seal Certified, meeting all job requirements and training expectations, and having the required number of years of experience, will help you on your way into various Shipyard Operational and Corporate Roles.

Once you have your Red Seal, you can help yourself succeed by developing Leadership, Technical and Computer Skills for Shipyard Operational Roles in your trade:

  • Electrician
  • Joiners
  • Mechanic/Engine Fitters
  • Painter
  • Sheet Metal
  • Shipfitter/Metal Fabricator
  • Steamfitter/Pipefitter
  • Welder

Non-Red Seal Seaspan Trades and Occupations

Some roles in the Seaspan Shipyards are not Red Seal Trades however, they are also very skilled and specialized.

  • Labourer
  • Riggers
  • Sandblaster
  • Crane Operator

 

All of our employees in skilled trades positions must be members in good standing of their relevant union.

Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. – Poly Party Unions

Marine & Shipbuilders – Local 506
Mr. Shawn Sly
Unit 211 – 3823 Henning Dr
Burnaby, BC V5C 6P3
Phone: (604) 558-1506
Fax: (604) 558-3506
email: local506@cmaw.ca

Trade Classifications

  • Welders
  • Shipfitters
  • Painters/Sandblasters
  • Riggers
  • Crane Operators
  • General Labour

International Association of Machinists – Lodge 692
Mr. Walter Gerlach
201–19005 94th Avenue
Surrey BC V4N 3S4
Phone: (604) 513-3883
Fax: (604) 513-3853
email: wgerlach@iam250.org

Trade Classifications

  • Mechanics (Engine Fitters)
  • Machinists

United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters – Local 170
Mr. Mark Glazier
201–1658 Foster’s Way
Annacis Island, Delta BC V3M 6S6
Phone: (604) 526-0441
Fax: (604) 526-6261
email: mark.glazier@ualocal170.com

Trade Classifications

  • Pipefitters

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – Local 213
Mr. Mandeep Saggu
1424 Broadway Street
Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5W2
Phone: (604) 571-6500
Fax: (604) 571-6502
email: msaggu@ibew213.org

Trade Classifications

  • Electricians

Vancouver Drydock Co. Ltd. – Poly-Party Unions

Marine Workers & Boilermakers Industrial Union – Local 1
Mr. Fred Simmons
#136 – 4299 Canada Way
Burnaby BC V5G 1H3
Phone: (604) 254-8204
Fax: (604) 608-2925
email: fsimmons@marineworkers.ca

Trade Classifications

  • Welders
  • Shipfitters
  • Painters/Sandblasters
  • General Labour

Marine & Shipbuilders – Local 506
Mr. Shawn Sly
Unit 211 – 3823 Henning Dr
Burnaby, BC V5C 6P3
Phone: (604) 558-1506
Fax: (604) 558-3506
email: local506@shaw.ca

International Association of Machinists – Lodge 692
Mr. Walter Gerlach
201–19005 94th Avenue
Surrey BC V4N 3S4
Phone: (604) 513-3883
Fax: (604) 513-3853
email: wgerlach@iam250.org

United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters – Local 170
Mr. Mark Glazier
201–1658 Foster’s Way
Annacis Island, Delta BC V3M 6S6
Phone: (604) 526-0441
Fax: (604) 526-6261
email: mark.glazier@ualocal170.com

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – Local 213
Mr. Mandeep Saggu
1424 Broadway Street
Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5W2
Phone: (604) 571-6500
Fax: (604) 571-6502
email: msaggu@ibew213.org

Victoria Shipyards

International Brotherhood of Boilermakers – Local 191
Mr. Robert Taylor
802 Esquimalt Road
Victoria BC V9A 3M4
Phone: (250) 383-4196
Fax: (250) 383-4688
email: rtaylor@boilermakers191.ca

Trade Classifications

  • Welders
  • Shipfitters

 On behalf of the following Labour Supply Unions

Vancouver Drydock Company Ltd. – Core Group

Marine Workers & Boilermakers Industrial Union – Local 1
Mr. Fred Simmons
#136 – 4299 Canada Way
Burnaby BC V5G 1H3
Phone: (604) 254-8204
Fax: (604) 608-2925
email: fsimmons@marineworkers.ca

On behalf of:

  • Marine & Shipbuilders 506
  • Machinists 692
  • Pipefitters 170
  • IBEW 213
  • Operating Engineers 115

All trade apprentices working at Seaspan share a common goal of achieving their Red Seal endorsement and becoming a certified Journeyperson. This endorsement promotes excellence to employers, instills pride in skilled workers, and facilitates labour mobility within Canada. Most apprenticeship opportunities at Seaspan require candidates to have successfully completed their foundations or level 1 of training at a recognized training institution.

Sponsorships

Seaspan Shipyard apprentices must be sponsored by either the company or an affiliated union partner. The sponsor is responsible for training the apprentice under a certified tradesperson, tracking and reporting work-based training hours, allowing time to attend school, evaluating their performance, and recommending for certification.

Seaspan Sponsored Apprentices

Type of trade, shipyard location, and staffing requirements determine the need for Seaspan sponsored apprentices. All current opportunities can be found on our Job Openings page and candidates are selected through a recruitment process.

Seaspan sponsored apprentice benefits:

  • Tuition Coverage
  • Reimbursement of required textbooks
  • Earning wages in addition to Employment Insurance (EI) while attending school through the Federal Government Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plan
  • Scheduled wage increases
  • Additional training opportunities outside of the apprenticeship program
  • Career advancement opportunities

Union Sponsored Apprentices

Union sponsored apprentices are selected and sponsored by a Seaspan affiliated union partner and can be dispatched to a shipyard location. See the Shipyard section directly above for union contacts.

Our three shipyards and our Marine division have been centres of high-quality transport, shipbuilding, and repair for decades—and now we are entering a 30-year period of even higher production and growth. We are looking for skilled people to join our Operation and Technical teams across the organization.

Seaspan Shipyards, Seaspan Marine and Seaspan Ferries

  • At Vancouver Shipyards, Vancouver Drydock and Victoria Shipyards, you’ll find a fast-paced and project-oriented environment that is focused on efficiency, safety, and quality. Our philosophy of continuous improvement means our workforce enjoys the benefit of constant investment in training, infrastructure and technology.
  • At our busy Seaspan Marine and Seaspan Ferries offices, we have been providing sea transport services to the West Coast since 1898. In Vancouver, Delta, Nanaimo and at outports all along the southern coast we operate commercial roll-on/roll-off ferry services, shipdocking, and marine transportation services such as container, railcar and commercial truck transport via self-propelled ferries and tug-barge. Our staff at these ports and outports enjoy a busy, high-energy work environment and our same commitment to safety, training, and infrastructure.
  • Marine Services is responsible for the commercial management and traffic coordination of all commodity barge products (petro, chemical, forest products, etc.) They also coordinate and transport occasional marine module traffic around Vancouver Island.
  • Marine Operations coordinates vessel docking assists, vessel escort duties, and general barge towing in the Vancouver Harbour, Fraser River and BC coastline.

Some positions include:

  • Project Managers
  • Naval Architects
  • Engineers in various disciplines
  • Trade Supervisors
  • Quality Assurance Representatives
  • Port Captains
  • Traffic Coordinators
  • Dispatchers
  • Customer Service Representatives
  • Commercial Managers