Seaspan Shipyards delivered the first Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV), the CCGS Sir John Franklin, to the Canadian Coast Guard. According to the shipyard, ‘The CCGS Sir John Franklin is the first large vessel to be built and delivered to the Government of Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.’
For the delivery of the vessel, an official handover ceremony took place aboard the vessel, in attendance of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, senior officials from the Coast Guard, Seaspan and supply chain partners.
In addition, the Seaspan-built OFSVs are amongst the most complex ships of their size and type. Thus, these vessels feature a variety of innovative systems including high-tech fishing trawls, laboratories and a deployable drop keel.
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According to the shipyard, the vessels will serve as a platform for Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists on government missions to monitor the health of fish stocks, better understand the impacts of climate change and support oceans research.
The addition of the new Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel to our Canadian Coast Guard fleet is a significant milestone for the shipbuilding industry, and for the protection of our oceans.
… The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard commented.
In the meantime, the new vessels provided the creation of about 1,000 jobs, invested over $200 million (CAD) to upgrade its shipyard and issued over $930 million (CAD) in contracts to 630 Canadian companies, the majority based in British Columbia.
The OFSVs are Seaspan’s first large vessels under construction in many years: as a shipowner, the company often sources its own tugs and ferries from overseas yards. Canada’s cabotage laws permit foreign-built, Canadian-crewed vessels on domestic voyages.
Seaspan’s total orderbook under the NSS comes to about $8 billion, including the OFSV, 16 multipurpose vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and two fleet auxiliaries for the Royal Canadian Navy. Nova Scotia-based shipyard Irving Shipbuilding has the contract for the navy’s new surface combatants.
