Seaspan hands over Canada’s first OFSV

Seaspan Shipyards CEO Mark Lamarre and CPO John McCarthy with Canadian Coast Guard officials.

Seaspan Shipyards officially handed over Canada’s first Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV), the CCGS Sir John Franklin to the Canadian Coast Guard in a June 27 ceremony held aboard the vessel.

Built at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards, the OFSV is the first large vessel to be built and delivered under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Its handover follows the recent successful launch of OFSV 2, the future CCGS Capt. Jacques Cartier on June 5. OFSV 2 is currently undergoing systems commissioning in advance of starting sea trials this fall. OFSV 3, the future CCGS John Cabot, will be structurally complete by the end of summer 2019.

Designed and built by Seaspan, the 63.4 meter OFSVs are one of the most complex ships of their size and type. Specifically designed to meet the needs of the Canadian Coast Guard and scientists, they feature a variety of innovative systems including high-tech fishing trawls, laboratories and a deployable drop keel. The vessels will serve as a platform for Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists to monitor the health of fish stocks, better understand the impacts of climate change and support oceans research.