Vancouver Shipyards Co. gets preliminary NSPS contracts

FEBRUARY 25, 2013 — Seaspan Shipyards’ Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. has been awarded a series of preliminary contracts valued at a total of Canadian $15.7 million.

They cover the joint support ships, the polar icebreaker and the offshore fisheries science vessels required under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).

Left: Polar icebreaker concept image

As part of the non-combat package under the NSPS, the joint support ships will replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels. The new polar icebreaker, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, will be delivered to coincide with the decommissioning of the Canadian Coast Guard’s heavy icebreaker, the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, and the offshore fisheries science vessels are intended to replace the CCGS Teleost, the Alfred Needler, and the W.E. Ricker.

The initial agreements will enable Vancouver Shipyards to:

• assist in the progression and assessment of the joint support ship design options;
• initiate a review of the polar icebreaker design; and
• refine the offshore fisheries science vessel design and specifications; and produce construction plans and determine requirements for material, subcontractors and labor.

As part of the non-combat package under the NSPS, the joint support ships will replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels. The new polar icebreaker, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, will be delivered to coincide with the decommissioning of the Canadian Coast Guard’s heavy icebreaker, the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, and the offshore fisheries science vessels are intended to replace the CCGS Teleost, the Alfred Needler, and the W.E. Ricker.

The icebreaker is being designed by Canada’s STX Marine, which is a unit of STX Europe and which will be partnered in the project by STX Europe’s Aker Arctic Technology. STX Marine is also involved in the design of the other NSPS vessels being built at Vancouver Shipyards as the shipbuilder’s design partner.