Point Hope Maritime general manager Hank Bekkering is retiring this year, but will be sticking around the shipyard to help shepherd the next stage of expansion.
Owner Ian Maxwell would like to start construction on a 175-metre-long graving dock early next year, a project that would take about 18 months. It would be a crowning jewel of the rebuilt shipyard and a fitting tribute to Bekkering’s distinguished marine career. In any case, Maxwell isn’t rushing the 65-year-old Bekkering out the door. A replacement is expected this year, but Bekkering will remain as a consultant.
Maxwell bought the assets of the bankrupt shipyard at 345 Harbour Rd. in 2003. Three years later, he convinced Bekkering to leave his job as manager of Vancouver Dry Dock and move to Victoria. “I cobbled together all the components of the yard and Hank built the shipyard,” Maxwell said Wednesday in an interview at Bekkering’s office.
Bekkering shies away from the compliment, saying, “that’s not quite true.”
But Maxwell stands his ground. “It’s exactly true.”
Bekkering was born in Holland, moving as a child with his family to Taber, Alta., where he grew up farming. He left the farm after spotting a Canadian Coast Guard advertisement that offered paid training in Nova Scotia to become a marine engineer. Four years later, he graduated and his service included working in the Arctic. Eventually, Bekkering moved to shipyards on the Pacific Coast.
When Maxwell offered him a job, he initially turned it down because he was happy where he was. Maxwell flew to Vancouver, the two met for a coffee and Maxwell convinced Bekkering to take the job.
“I thought this would be a challenge to start a whole new shipyard,” Bekkering said. “I knew the industry and I knew that ship repair is a good business if you understand what jobs not to bid, so I knew there was opportunity.”
Another plus was Maxwell’s vision to create a 50-to-100-year operation, rather than looking only five to 10 years ahead, Bekkering said.
The success of Point Hope has brought stable work and training opportunities. This week, 60 workers are on Point Hope’s site, plus another 15 subcontractors. Staff levels fluctuate, sometimes rising to 150, depending on the number of ships in for repair, Bekkering said.
After buying Point Hope assets, Maxwell invested $18 million in modernization by installing a new marine railway with three spur lines, and a new pier. Maxwell owns the Ralmax Group of Companies, which include United Engineering, Chew Excavating and Ellice Recycle.
Maxwell bought the property from the province in 2014 and has continued upgrading. The latest improvement expanded the spurline by 107 metres, at a cost of $3.5 million, doubling its capacity so the yard no longer had to turn away work.
Finishing touches are being completed on a new water-treatment and filtration plant to handle increased run-off now that the worksite has expanded by 2.4 acres, Bekkering said. Environmental stewardship and safety are key issues at shipyards.
“The industry used to be pretty rough and ready. It’s not that way anymore,” he said.
Now that the spur-line expansion is finished, Maxwell is hoping to line up a customer with a fleet of vessels. Discussions are in the works. The public can tour the shipyard during its annual open house on June 12.
