Expanding the future of shipbuilding

Five large ferries, five smaller ones and several more likely required in the years to come. B.C. Ferries is defining its needs for the future. How can B.C.’s shipbuilding and marine industries contribute in a meaningful way to its needs?

For the government of B.C., the answer might lie in the principles inherent in the federal government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy: Build in Canada with a Canadian workforce and leverage significant social and economic benefits in the process.

B.C. Ferries’ need to procure vessels to replace an aging fleet is similar to the situation faced by the government of Canada several years ago when it launched the strategy, but with one significant difference: Prior to the NSS, B.C.’s shipbuilding industry had been slowly dying.

Starved of a significant and predictable backlog of work, the major shipyards, suppliers and broader marine ecosystem struggled to keep themselves busy, and many closed shop. Thanks to the national strategy and Seaspan Shipyards’ role in it, today’s situation could not be more different.

Six years into the NSS, the program is showing clear and positive results on the West Coast. Ships are being built by Seaspan in our state-of-the-art Vancouver Shipyards facility. More than 360 B.C. suppliers have earned contractual commitments totalling more than $270 million, with millions more spent across Canada.

Investments have been made by Seaspan in local education institutions, including the University of British Columbia, University of Victoria and local colleges. These investments are promoting training for underrepresented groups — such as women and Indigenous peoples — in shipbuilding and ship repair, and developing the next generation of shipbuilders.

Practical experience has been provided to approximately 150 interns since 2014, and 120 apprentices are learning their trade at our Vancouver and Victoria shipyards. The B.C. marine sector is growing in capacity, capability and confidence with every passing day.

These investments are possible thanks to the predictable work on major new construction projects we have with the government of Canada.

Further evidence of this growing confidence was realized this year when Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards, fresh off completing two cruise-ship refit projects and continuing its work for the Royal Canadian Navy, began a two-year project to upgrade the Royal New Zealand Navy’s ANZAC-class frigates — the first such opportunity for a Canadian shipyard since the Second World War.

Seaspan, like many growing marine companies in B.C., is building a strong and sustainable business on the West Coast with a diverse customer base. There is clear evidence that the B.C. marine sector can contribute in a meaningful way to the B.C. Ferries’ recapitalization plans, and the long-term stability of the national strategy has provided the necessary predictability for the sector to invest in a promising future.

Our company, for the next several years, is unlikely to have the capacity to take on major new construction projects like this at our facilities, due to our commitments with the government of Canada. However, we applaud the provincial government and B.C. Ferries for their ongoing efforts to work with industry and find a way forward.

It is important that we continue to collaborate to capitalize on this opportunity of a generation.