VICTORIA, B.C. – Long-term work has been secured for shipyards trades workers in Victoria with a new Royal Canadian Navy maintenance contract.
Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards has signed a contract to maintain the country’s West Coast-based Halifax-class Frigates which includes docking maintenance work. This work has been performed by Victoria Shipyards for the last 10 years under the Frigate Life Extension (FELEX) modernization program.
The maintenance support for Canada’s frigates will see Seaspan provide docking work periods for Canada’s five Halifax-class frigates stationed on the West Coast.
The Government of Canada also announced similar work would be conducted by two other Canadian shipyards for Canada’s seven East Coast-based Halifax-class frigates. The contract’s first phase is worth $500 million, securing work for the next several decades. Government officials praised Seaspan for earning a reputation for being on-time with high quality work.
“This vital, long-term work demonstrates the government’s continued commitment to supporting the women and men of the Royal Canadian Navy by providing them with the equipment they need to protect Canadian interests at home and abroad,” said Minister of Public Services Carla Qualtrough. “Together with our shipbuilding partners, we are fulfilling federal fleet requirements, advancing Canadian technological innovation and creating jobs across this great country.”
The frigates require a wide range of engineering change work, equipment installations, docking work and corrective maintenance activities to ensure they remain operationally available and relevant through to their end of life.
The maintenance will be carried out at Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards which operates out of the federally-owned Esquimalt Graving Dock.
“Victoria Shipyards executed the first docking packages on the Halifax Class as they were built and stationed in Victoria, and we are proud and humbled to be awarded a contract that will allow us the opportunity to work these vessels to their end of life,” said Seaspan Victoria Shipyards general manager Joe O’Rourke in a press release. “The production-driven team approach we and our DND and FMF partners are committed to will allow Canada’s fleet to continue sailing proudly and safely at sea. This contract will continue to generate high wage employment to the men and women working in our trades who remain a core focus of our business. Well done to our Victoria Shipyard team.”
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