Written by
Nick Blenkey
Growth of Vancouver Drydock capability will embrace the addition of two new floating dry docks. [Image: Seaspan Shipyards]
Canada’s Seaspan Shipyards is making substantial investments to improve and develop its Vancouver Drydock infrastructure to assist develop the corporate’s ship restore and upkeep operations.
Seaspan obtained allow approval from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) in October 2023 to increase its North Vancouver dry dock amenities to extend capability and repair further vessels.
Seaspan says that consolidation of its ship restore and upkeep tasks at Vancouver Drydock has resulted within the shipyard working at or close to capability for a number of years. The dry dock capability enlargement will improve the yard’s capability for ship restore tasks by about 30%, and can outcome within the creation of round 100 new jobs.
“Seaspan Vancouver Drydock performs an integral function in supporting the West Coast marine trade and creating long-term work for B.C.’s expert workforce. By investing in enhancements to higher use our land and the house inside our water tons, we will serve extra prospects, create new jobs and harness new financial exercise for our communities,” mentioned Paul Hebson, vp and common supervisor of Vancouver Drydock. “The enter and suggestions we gathered through the public engagement course of for the dry dock enlargement allowed us to develop significant measures to deal with considerations and helped us created a stronger, extra responsive challenge.”
The dry dock enlargement contains the extension of Seaspan’s present water lot by 40 meters and the addition of two new smaller floating drydocks and a floating work pontoon to the west of the 2 present dry docks. The challenge is predicted to take roughly one 12 months to finish, with the dry docks and work pontoon arriving by water totally assembled. The challenge is topic to 61 circumstances that handle the impacts of noise, air emissions and lighting. Seaspan has dedicated to implementing a number of mitigation measures to its present operation, in addition to to the expanded amenities.
The enlargement additionally features a new operations constructing and a whole improve and extension of the present careen deck to reinforce its capabilities.
The brand new operations constructing isdesigned to accommodate as much as 300 folks over two shifts. Building will begin quickly and is predicted to be full by late 2024.
Vancouver Drydock at present has a piece pressure of about 200 individuals who full upkeep, restore and refit on greater than 50 vessel tasks per 12 months, together with tugs, ferries, massive freighters, Canadian Coast Guard vessels, cruise ships, fishing vessels, and barges.
