Seaspan Shipyards Q2: Setting sail

July 18, 2025

There is no more exciting milestone for those in shipbuilding and ship repair than seeing a vessel you’ve worked on tirelessly for years sail out to sea. At Seaspan, we’ve had the privilege of experiencing that twice this quarter, while concurrently starting construction on one of the country’s most anticipated ships in decades: the heavy polar icebreaker.

Vancouver Shipyards

There’s always a flurry of activity taking place at our shipyard in North Vancouver. But, during a brief moment in June, the cacophony calmed as employees witnessed the historic first sailing of CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, as it embarked on day one of its sea trials — marking the first step in the delivery of this vessel to Canada. This summer, the new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel will continue to undergo testing during sea trials, with delivery scheduled for later in the summer.

While that program is wrapping up, another is beginning. This PC2 vessel will be the CCG’s only made-in-Canada polar icebreaker, and, once delivered, will be the largest and most powerful ship in its fleet. This was a monumental milestone for the engineers, designers, and skilled trades employees at Seaspan— everyone is excited that this critical program for Canada has reached the next phase of its construction.

Also at Vancouver Shipyards, JSS1 is currently in the water and being outfitted for sea trials. Block construction on JSS2 continues, with the loadout of the ship’s main diesel generators and switchboards completed in June. The team is working towards the main cable pull in the early fall, while consolidation of the blocks up to the ship’s superstructure will continue throughout the summer.

Vancouver Drydock

Vancouver Drydock welcomed a variety of visitors from April through June, including some unique vessels such as the hard-to-miss 145.5-metre-long Cable Innovator. Owned by Global Marine Group, the Cable Innovator weighs an impressive 14,277 making it one of the largest vessels to have stopped by Vancouver Drydock. Aptly named, the vessel’s primary mission is laying and repairing undersea internet cables. The team was proud to help get the ship back into tip-top shape as part of a 30-year special survey.

Meanwhile, the Cable Innovator was not the only red and white vessel to stop by the drydock this quarter — the Sentinel 301 oil spill response barge also stopped by, but this time for a quick blast and paint project. The vessel was drydocked on the new, third drydock and left looking good as new with a new coat of red paint and a Canadian maple leaf.

In addition to the work on these vessels and a number of other small projects, we were also thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of Vancouver Drydock’s new 21,000-square-foot Operations Centre, a new state-of-the-art facility that will increase the capacity for the shipyard to take on new work.

Victoria Shipyards

At Victoria Shipyards, we wrapped up one of the largest naval projects ever at the site, with the delivery of the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Calgary. This followed a 28-month undertaking involving more than 1,000 employees to repair and modernize the vessel ensuring it remains operationally available to the Canadian Armed Forces through to its end of life.

In addition to the continuing work on HMCS Victoria, the shipyard also welcomed the Northern Hawk, a fishing vessel operated by Coastal Alaska Premier Seafoods. For almost a month, the ship was in drydock where it received critical maintenance and upgrades, including the installation of a brand-new bow thruster unit.

Also in April, four apprentices from Victoria Shipyards also took part in (and dominated at) the Skills Canada B.C. Provincial Competition in Abbotsford, a unique opportunity for apprentices to gain hands-on experience under pressure, while they benchmark their skills against peers from other colleges and training programs.