Seaspan announced a substantial investment into expanding Vancouver Drydock infrastructure to help grow the company’s ship repair and maintenance operations.

According to a press release, Seaspan received permit approval from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) in October 2023 to extend its North Vancouver drydock facilities to increase the capacity and service more ships.

The expansion includes a drydock expansion, a new operations building and a complete upgrade to the current careen deck. The project is expected to increase Seaspan’s capacity for ship repair projects by about 30 percent, resulting in approximately 100 new jobs.

“Seaspan Vancouver Drydock plays an integral role in supporting the West Coast marine industry and creating long-term work for BC’s skilled workforce. By investing in improvements to better use our land and the space within our water lots, we will be able to serve more customers, create new jobs and harness new economic activity for our communities,” said Paul Hebson, vice president and general manager of Vancouver Drydock.

“The input and feedback we gathered during the public engagement process for the drydock expansion allowed us to develop meaningful measures to address concerns and helped us create a stronger, more responsive project.”

The expansion includes extending Seaspan’s current water lot by 40 meters and adding two new smaller drydocks and a floating work pontoon to the west of the two existing drydocks. It is estimated that the project will take approximately a year to complete.