Gravel Bed and Habitat Compensation
Seaspan is planning to construct a gravel bed to facilitate the launching of vessels being constructed within the Vancouver Shipyards site located at 10 Pemberton Avenue in North Vancouver. The gravel bed is an underwater surface composed of fill material and slope protection used to assist with the launch process of the newly constructed Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy vessels. Vessels will be launched by submerging a floating drydock onto the gravel bed, allowing the vessels to be maneuvered onto the drydock from the shipyard. The drydock will then be raised off the gravel bed, taking the vessels to deeper water to complete the launch process. Seaspan also proposes to install a portion of future slope protection within the gravel bed as part of a future proposed infill of the east basin at the site which forms part of the overall project. In addition to the gravel bed Seaspan is planning to construct a habitat compensation area in Burrard Inlet adjacent to the facility, in order to improve the marine habitat within the vicinity of the project. The proposed marine habitat is designed to enhance kelp and juvenile salmonid habitat at the estuary of MacKay Creek.
Vancouver Drydock Water Lot
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 drydock expansion includes extending Seaspan’s current water lot by 40 metres and the addition of two new smaller drydocks and a floating work pontoon to the west of the two existing drydocks. The project is expected to take approximately four months, with the drydocks and work pontoon arriving by water fully assembled.
Outfitting Pier
Seaspan proposes to construct a new outfitting pier located within the Vancouver Shipyards site in North Vancouver to accommodate new vessel construction. The Project includes the removal of the existing outfitting pier; a timber structure approximately 155 m in length and 10 m in width (originally constructed in 1966 and extended in 1974) and installation of a new outfitting pier constructed with steel piles and a concrete deck approximately 272 m in length and 19.2 m in width. Construction of a new outfitting pier will be a major investment in the Vancouver Shipyards (Seaspan) and the Canadian shipbuilding industry by making local shipbuilding operations more efficient and improving upon delivery dates of new-builds which have been awarded as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
