Vancouver Shipyards COE lab gains ISO accreditation

Written by Marine Log Staff
COE lab scene

Pilsun Song, lab technician and Dr. Hassan Saghafifar, lab supervisor, examining metal testing results at Vancouver Shipyards’ COE Lab. [Photo: Seaspan]

North Vancouver, B.C., based Seaspan reports that the Welding Centre of Excellence (COE) lab at Vancouver Shipyards has successfully gained ISO accreditation.

The new ISO accreditation demonstrates the lab’s technical competence in mechanical testing, complementing its existing CWB certification. This is a significant opportunity for Seaspan to enter the competitive testing lab market and offer external customers testing services with accurate and traceable results.

A multi-purpose facility, the COE Lab is equipped with advanced scientific equipment to support various efforts – including qualifying Seaspan’s welding procedures, researching innovative welding techniques, and verifying various types of steel.

On a regular day, says Seaspan “you might find a lab technician conducting tensile strength tests, hardness testing, Charpy impact testing, or chemical analysis on steel samples of various grades, including steel up to 60 mm thick for the polar Icebreaker.”

Currently, Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards is the only shipyard in Canada to have an ISO-accredited lab on-site. The COE lab, which was certified by CWB in January 2023, was officially accredited to ISO 17025 in December of 2024, marking a significant milestone for Seaspan and its in-house COE lab team.

“Our internal customers already know they can rely on us, and we’ve been supporting welding procedures testing for the polar icebreaker, as well as material testing for Victoria Shipyards with witnesses from the appropriate governing bodies ensuring the validity of our results.” said Dr. Hassan Saghafifar, supervisor, welding and material testing lab, Seaspan Shipyards. “Now, we can extend our support to external customers too, as ISO accreditation shows that they can depend on us for accurate, timely testing and valid results.”

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