Major milestone for Seaspan in National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy Program

Seaspan Marine Corporation, North Vancouver, BC, Canada, and the Canadian Government formally recognized and celebrated the completion of an Umbrella Agreement that sets out the terms under which Seaspan’s shipyards in North Vancouver and Esquimalt, BC, will build Non-Combat vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy.

“This is a significant agreement and important milestone in the 25 to 30 year relationship we will have with the Federal Government,” says Jonathan Whitworth, Seaspan CEO.
Today’s celebration follows the October announcement, in Ottawa, that Seaspan was the
successful bidder for the C$8 billion Non-Combat program.

The non-combat package includes the Navy’s joint support ships, the Canadian Coast Guard’s offshore science vessels and the new polar icebreaker (concept shown in thumbnail).

As we reported back on October 19, the C$8 billion program will not only inject billions into the local economy, but also will create an average of 4,000 jobs over the next  8 years. In addition, the Canadian Government has plans for a further 17 vessels which should fall under the non-combatant package.

Continues Whitworth, “With this agreement we can now begin work on vessel design and look towards starting to cut steel for the first vessel in 2013.“

From the start of the NSPS project over a year ago, the Government of Canada promised a fair, transparent and open process that would see winning bids chosen on merit and not on political factors. We are delighted the Government of Canada held true to this commitment and look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

Construction on the first ship is expected to start next year, while construction of new buildings and infrastructure at both Vancouver Shipyards and Victoria Shipyards is expected to start in 2012.

January 13, 2013