VIDEO: HaiSea Marine’s floating tugboat base marks a milestone

Zewén floating tugboat base is now ready to be transported up the Douglas Channel to Kitimat, B.C.

The fleet of ultra green tugboats built for Canada’s HaiSea Marine will operate from a purpose-designed and built floating tugboat operations base. When we last reported on the project in August last year, its concrete foundation had just been poured. Now, as shown in the time-lapse video, the new floating facility has been named and blessed by the Haisla Nation, which is the majority partner in HaiSea Marine (with Seaspan ULC as minority partner) and is now ready to be transported up the Douglas Channel to Kitimat,B,C., where it will be based to support HaiSea’s operations in support of LNG Canada’s Kitimat LNG terminal.

“Zewén” is the Haisla word for the coho salmon and is now also the name of HaiSea’s operations and maintenance facility. The location where the Zewén floating tugboat base will be secured in Kitimat inspired the name from Haisla Nation Hereditary Chief, Basil Grant. His family has been fishing for coho in that exact spot for generations. Now the site will carry a new legacy as the home base for HaiSea’s fleet.

Zewén is a floating operations and maintenance building and was purpose-built and designed to withstand the extreme tidal range in the Kitimat region. It was also designed to be welcoming and inclusive of all genders with a focus on comfort, privacy, and overall well- being. It features a large workshop, common areas, a gym, and will also accommodate up to eight shore-based personnel to use during working hours.

The floating tugboat base was built by Pacific Marine Construction on Wei Wai Kum territory in Campbell River, B.C. To celebrate its naming and unveiling, HaiSea was joined by representatives from Haisla Nation, Wei Wai Kum Nation, and LNG Canada inside the Zewén’s warehouse.

“When HaiSea was still in the idea and planning phase, we challenged Seaspan to create something different; an environmentally friendly tugboat fleet to ply our waters; job opportunities for Haisla Nation members and our local First Nations neighbors; and lastly, we wanted diversity and inclusion to be part of HaiSea’s culture,” said Chief Crystal Smith, Elected Chief Councillor, Haisla Nation. “ As we celebrate the naming of the Zewén facility, it is clear that our shared vision of diversity, inclusion, and environmental innovation is coming to fruition.”

“As a modern marine start-up, we were able to develop HaiSea from the ground-up in true partnership with the Haisla Nation, and with feedback from our mariners,” said Jordan Pechie, senior vice president, Seaspan Marine Transportation. “We had the remarkable opportunity to build our culture and our assets, like the Zewén, to support an inclusive and diverse team. Zewén features single enclosed bathrooms and changing rooms, which in 2024 is the baseline expectation but it’s revolutionary for a centuries-old industry that was not built for everyone. The unveiling and naming of Zewén is a celebration of how we are doing things differently and is a testament to our efforts in designing welcoming and inclusive workspaces at sea and on shore.”

“It has been an honor to be part of this project and complete the construction of the Zewén facility for Haisea Marine,” said Pacific Marine Construction president Cory Handyside. “There was a lot of learning, innovation, and team