Members of the public were able to get up close in North Vancouver to Canada’s nearly complete first offshore fisheries science vessel which will come to Esquimalt for its final testing.
More than 3,300 people toured Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards’ open house on Sunday to see what taxpayers are buying. In 2011, the federal government announced that Seaspan would be negotiating contracts worth up to $8 billion to build non-combat ships for the navy and Canadian Coast Guard.
The first of three science vessels will likely be launched in early December at Vancouver Shipyards. It is not yet know when it will be towed to Seaspan-owned Victoria Shipyards, based in Esquimalt, for preparation to hand over to the federal government.
It was initially expected to be delivered this year but now that will not take place until 2018.
Two other science vessels are also under construction in North Vancouver. They are to be ready in 2019.
It was learned last month that federal officials are taking a fresh look at the budgets and construction schedules for two new navy resupply vessels and for Canada’s planned new polar icebreaker, also to be built in North Vancouver.
This review is being carried out because the three science vessels are arriving later than originally planned.
Shipbuilding construction on B.C.’s coast has delivered new jobs and training into the workforce as the once up-and-down industry is able to modernize and compete for contracts.
- Times Colonist staff and CP
