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Shipbuilding in Victoria


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#21 Sparky

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Posted 13 August 2013 - 10:36 AM

^ Agreed. Even if the profits end up out if the country, if the work is performed locally, we reap the employment benefits.
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#22 amor de cosmos

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Posted 13 August 2013 - 02:19 PM

I've never heard about this story until now

Court overturns discrimination ruling against Victoria Shipyards
Carla Wilson / Times Colonist
August 12, 2013

The Supreme Court of B.C. has overturned a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruling that a black worker had been subject to discrimination while working at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt.

“There was no evidence capable of proving the case of discrimination before the tribunal,” Justice Kenneth Ball stated in the Aug. 9 Supreme Court decision.

Victoria Shipyards is owned by North Vancouver-based Seaspan. Jonathan Whitworth, chief executive officer of Seaspan, said in an interview on Monday that the company took the matter to the higher court “because we are interested in our brand and our name and our reputation. We felt the only thing to do was actually take this as far as we could to the Supreme Court, even though technically we weren’t financially harmed.”



Austin Francis testified at the tribunal’s hearing that a white rag with two eye holes cut out had been placed on his tool bag when he was working at the shipyard in April 2009.

He had left the ship for a break, and the white rag was there when he returned, he said.

http://www.timescolo...pyards-1.579660

Esquimalt and Victoria mayors back increased naval presence on West Coast
Peter O'Neil and Louise Dickson / Times Colonist
August 12, 2013

Two local mayors say they would support an increased naval presence on Canada’s west coast as a way of bringing economic benefits to the regional economy.

Defence analysts are suggesting Canada move the majority of its warships from Halifax to the B.C. coast in response to the Chinese navy’s aggressive military buildup.



The U.S., Japan and Australia have all taken steps to expand their military muscle in response to the Chinese military’s naval buildup. Fears of a potential Pacific conflict have been exacerbated by China’s territorial disputes with the Philippines and Japan.

On Monday, Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said Esquimalt supports its troops and would back any move the Canadian government sees fit to make.

Desjardins said when she was first elected, she attended a dinner with then Defence Minister Peter MacKay where there was discussion of the merits of a greater naval presence on the West Coast. “I know it’s certainly something the Pacific fleet has been working towards,” said Desjardins.

“We as a region benefit significantly from having the navy here and we will benefit from having further navy here.”

Shellie Gudgeon, acting mayor of Victoria, said she would also support any such move.

“It certainly makes sense from a business point of view. You want to make sure you’re protected on all sides and it would certainly add to the economic base of the region, which is beneficial,” said Gudgeon.

Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard said he didn’t want to buy into the premise that Canada should build up its Pacific military defences because of China. “I didn’t know China was threatening us. It would be news to my wife. She was born in China,” he said.

...

“Their capital expenditures there have been quite dramatic. So what they’ve already been doing has been great for our economy and great for the region,” he said.

“I’m too old to think we have to build up our military in response to some foreign power ... but I certainly am very appreciative of the investments that have been made at CFB Esquimalt and how good it is for our region.”

http://www.timescolo...-coast-1.579790

#23 AllseeingEye

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Posted 13 August 2013 - 02:26 PM

I've never heard about this story until now


http://www.timescolo...pyards-1.579660


http://www.timescolo...-coast-1.579790


The mayor of Saanich's comments are so patently stupid I am biting my tongue in refrain lest I say or write something I regret. With whatever respect I can muster he should perhaps stick to running the municipality or go back to selling tires; clearly his knowledge of international affairs begins and ends at Vernon Avenue.

#24 amor de cosmos

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Posted 16 August 2013 - 07:23 AM

Navy scuttles proposal to move more of its fleet to Esquimalt
Katherine Dedyna / Times Colonist
August 15, 2013

Canadian navy headquarters has deep-sixed suggestions by defence analysts that Canada move more of its fleet to Esquimalt in response to the buildup of the Chinese navy.

While the U.S. navy plans to put 60 per cent of its assets on the west coast by 2020, there are no plans for Canada to bolster its naval presence on the Pacific, said Lt. Mark Fifield of Maritime Staff Headquarters in Ottawa.

The current breakdown meets Canada’s strategic and operational requirements, he said, with Halifax ships closer to the Middle East and the Caribbean, where operations will likely remain in the coming years. Fifield’s lengthy statement to the Times Colonist did not mention China or Asia.

Ships can be deployed to any location, regardless of where they are based, Fifield added.

The navy’s 33 warships, submarines and coastal defence vessels are “divided evenly” between the west and east coasts, Fifield said. The 15-vessel Pacific fleet comprises five frigates, a destroyer, two submarines, a replenishment ship and six coastal defence vessels. There are 18 vessels on the Atlantic coast: seven frigates, two destroyers, two submarines, a replenishment ship and six coastal defence vessels.

But when defence analyst David S. McDonough of the University of B.C. looks at destroyers, frigates, and submarines — what he considers warships capable of combat on open oceans — he sees a split closer to 60-40.

The navy’s response doesn’t surprise the analyst, who says it makes “some sense” given recent Mideast deployments — though he doesn’t see that area as Canada’s long-term focus.

http://www.timescolo...uimalt-1.590575

#25 amor de cosmos

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 06:51 AM

Victoria to get part of $3.3-billion ship construction
Carla Wilson / Times Colonist
October 7, 2013 10:13 PM

A $3.3-billion federal shipbuilding windfall announced Monday will provide more work at Victoria and Vancouver shipyards, extending years-long construction already lined up in this province.

Up to 10 additional Canadian Coast Guard ships will be built on the West Coast, bringing the total to at least 17 under the massive federal shipbuilding program, which aims to revitalize Canada’s fleet of combat and non-combat vessels. This boosts the shipbuilding program’s value to $11.3 billion in B.C.

“Victoria Shipyards will touch every one of them,” Brian Carter, Seaspan Shipyards president, said from North Vancouver. Seaspan owns Vancouver and Victoria shipyards where the ships will be constructed.

“We will build the vessels here as far as we can on land and then when it comes time to put them in water, we’ll do that here and take them immediately over to Victoria for the final outfitting, commissioning, test and trials.”

About 10 per cent of work will be in Victoria, Carter said.

http://www.timescolo...uction-1.652182

#26 amor de cosmos

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Posted 29 March 2014 - 07:45 AM

$7-billion shipbuilding bonanza for the West Coast

Carla Wilson / Times Colonist
March 29, 2014 05:00 AM
 
The province’s shipbuilding industry will take a giant leap forward this fall when the first steel is cut on a new federal fisheries science vessel. It’s the start of $7.3-billion worth of ship construction on the West Coast that is expected to provide a generation with hundreds of good-paying jobs.
 
As many as 17 federal ships will be built by Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver and in Victoria, where they will receive finishing touches and go through trials. The first vessel will be delivered in summer 2016.
 
“This is such a great catalyst for change. The next 10 to 20 years is going to be exciting,” said Seaspan chief executive Jonathan Whitworth. “Once you’ve established a facility that is world class and a reputation for delivering on time and on budget, we feel very bullish about the long-term prospects of building both domestically and internationally.”
 
Seaspan is spending $200 million to modernize and prepare for the federal program. More than $20 million will go to Victoria Shipyards, working out of the Esquimalt Graving Dock, to build two facilities for new ship work and ongoing refits to frigates and submarines.

*snip*

The federal shipbuilding bonanza arrives as the industry is already improving. Vessel refits, maintenance and repairs and in-service support contracts now total an estimated $10 billion through 2020, according to the B.C. Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Board’s workforce strategy report.
 
All that work translates into expectations for steady production and steady employment in an industry that has been faced with severe downturns in past decades.
 
Openings due to retirement, along with expected employment growth, are anticipated to bring the total number of job openings to 4,237 in shipbuilding and repair and in the plate and fabrication sector by 2020, the report says.
 
It means training opportunities are being developed for everyone from workers on the shop floor and engineers to technology professionals.

http://www.timescolo...-coast-1.916378



#27 lanforod

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Posted 31 March 2014 - 07:37 AM

I hope this means that when the time comes to replace some ferries again, they can build them here!



#28 amor de cosmos

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Posted 07 April 2014 - 10:08 AM

 

April 7, 2014

Island shipyard plans $30 million expansion

SHANNON MONEO

correspondent

 

A $30 million expansion of a Victoria area shipyard is expected to require 150-300 more skilled workers when complete.

 

Despite a doubling of the current workforce, the president of the Ralmax Group of Companies doesn’t think it will be difficult to attract suitable skilled employees.

 

“We’ll be hiring the trades necessary. We’ve never had a problem finding trades,” said Ian Maxwell with Ralmax Group, which includes Point Hope Maritime (PHM) and United Engineering.

 

Ralmax will need fabricators, welders, machinists, pipefitters, mechanics, shipwrights, painters and blasters.

 

He said there won’t be any need to go off-shore to find workers.

 

He was bullish on the reputation of the Victoria area, called it an awesome place to work and live.

 

The company bought about a 12-acre piece of industrial harbour land in Victoria that it had been leasing from the Province of B.C.

 

The deal was part of a land swap, which saw the City of Victoria give up the harbour land to the province, in exchange for downtown pieces of land the city had been eyeing.

 

Maxwell’s purchase, which gives him about 28 acres total of harbour land, close to downtown Victoria, has opened the door to the $30-million expansion. It includes demolition of aged structures, construction of a new metal fabrication shop and the building of additional spur lines to bolster the existing marine railway.

 

The expansion will increase the shipyard’s capacity by at least 30 per cent.

http://www.joconl.com/article/id59729



#29 Mike K.

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Posted 07 April 2014 - 10:24 AM

He said there won’t be any need to go off-shore to find workers.

 

 

And here I was about to suggest that a local McDonalds franchisee could help secure the labour Ian Maxwell is looking for.


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#30 amor de cosmos

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Posted 05 May 2014 - 05:04 PM

Victoria Shipyards poised for piece of $180M New Zealand project
Carla Wilson / Times Colonist
May 2, 2014 09:34 PM

Victoria Shipyards is in line to install new combat systems on two New Zealand frigates as part of a larger $180-million contract signed this week by Lockheed Martin Canada.

The Victoria installation job has not been finalized, but industry watchers are optimistic that will happen because the Seaspan Marine-owned shipyard and Lockheed Martin Canada have been working together on a mid-life modernization of Canada’s Halifax-class frigates at Esquimalt Graving Dock.

If successful, installation would start in 2016.

http://www.timescolo...oject-1.1019680

#31 amor de cosmos

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Posted 14 January 2015 - 08:37 AM

Victoria Shipyards frigate work attracts global attention, dollars
Carla Wilson / Times Colonist
January 13, 2015 08:28 PM

Countries with aging frigates are putting Canadian and Victoria-based contractors on the go-to list now that Canada’s navy is showcasing the latest in technology and weapon systems.

The first of two New Zealand navy frigates slated for modernization is expected to arrive in Victoria in mid-2016, contingent on a contract being finalized this year.

Each New Zealand ship will create 100 shipyard jobs for six months. Work on the second vessel would probably wrap up in early 2018, Malcolm Barker, general manager at Victoria Shipyards, said Tuesday.

Work completed on Canada’s frigates is providing opportunities for contracts from international clients. Barker said Victoria Shipyard has shown it can complete complex technology upgrades with a skilled workforce.

Globally, there are about 40 aging frigates in navies that do not have large shipbuilding capabilities, Barker said. “They are all about the same age and they are all looking to get the same thing done.”

Canada’s frigate life-extension program covers 12 Halifax-class frigates. New combat systems are being installed under prime contractor Lockheed Martin Canada. Victoria Shipyards, working with Lockheed Martin, has been upgrading five frigates, one after another, at the Esquimalt Graving Dock. A team of about 30 Lockheed Martin Victoria-based staff are working with the yard on installation, tests and trials for those vessels.

http://www.timescolo...llars-1.1729951


Edited by amor de cosmos, 14 January 2015 - 08:38 AM.

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#32 Mike K.

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Posted 14 January 2015 - 08:41 AM

Yup, these boats have been expected to get a refit here for some time. Glad to hear this will be finalized. An acquaintance was saying a little while back that they were eagerly awaiting confirmation.

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#33 amor de cosmos

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Posted 24 February 2015 - 09:09 AM

The general manager of The Victoria Shipyards says, in four months, work will begin on the west coast portion of the national shipbuilding strategy.

Major construction on non-combat Navy, Coast Guard and commercial vessels would be done in Vancouver.

Finishing work is expected to start at Victoria Shipyards in late 2016 and continue for up to 30 years.

Island officials say the contract has forced them to modernize facilities and will boost employment by ten per cent.

http://www.cfax1070....could-be-coming

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http://vancouverisla...o?clipId=557403

#34 amor de cosmos

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Posted 21 October 2015 - 09:05 AM

Esquimalt Drydocking wins $18M ferry upgrade
Andrew Duffy / Times Colonist
October 21, 2015 06:00 AM

Esquimalt Drydocking Company is about to break one of its own records.

The company is taking on the $18-million mid-life upgrade of B.C. Ferries’ Queen of Cumberland vessel, the largest Ferries contract the 17-year-old company has ever won.

Late last year, Esquimalt Drydocking won a $12-million contract to do a similar upgrade on the Queen of Capilano. That deal, at the time the company’s largest B.C. Ferries contract, translated into work for 75 employees, and as many as 150 at the peak.

The Queen of Cumberland, which runs between Swartz Bay and the Southern Gulf Islands, will be out of commission between Nov. 21 and April 17.

In its place, the ferry system will cover service on the Gulf Islands route through a combination of the Skeena Queen and Bowen Queen vessels.

The refit is designed to extend the life of Queen of Cumberland for 20 years.

http://www.timescolo...grade-1.2091225
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#35 amor de cosmos

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Posted 05 December 2015 - 11:11 AM

The Ruby Princess is in drydock in Esquimalt for a 10-day stop while 350 Victoria Shipyards workers go flat out to complete a vessel refit.

Cruise-ship work and other contracts are pushing the size of the workforce to a peak of more than 800, said Joe O’Rourke, general manager of Victoria Shipyards, owned by North Vancouver’s Seaspan ULC.

The value of the cruise ship job alone is in the $4-million to $5-million range, O’Rourke said Friday. It includes installing two massive emission scrubbers and replacing bow thrusters.

Princess has brought in 350 of its own staff, who in their spare time head downtown and spend money.

*snip*

Plans to bring two New Zealand frigates to Victoria Shipyards are on track, although a contract has not yet been signed. The first will likely arrive in late 2016 or early 2017, said O’Rourke, who recently returned from New Zealand. Each vessel is expected is create six months of work for about 100 tradespeople. Lockheed Martin Canada is the prime contractor for the vessels.

The first federal science vessels being built by Seaspan in North Vancouver is expected to be in Victoria later in 2016. In coming years, $11.3 billion worth of non-combat vessels are slated to be constructed in North Vancouver, all heading to Victoria Shipyards for trials and testing.

http://www.timescolo...-work-1.2126829
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#36 amor de cosmos

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Posted 16 January 2016 - 09:47 AM

where would I find out about someone who worked here maybe 100 years ago? would that be the bc archives or does the dockyard have its own archive or museum?

In a perfect world, the dry dock at the Victoria Shipyards would always be full and Joe O’Rourke could run 800 staff per day.

But after 30 years of working in the shipyard industry, O’Rourke knows that’s never going to happen.

O’Rourke, however, is happy with the amount of work that’s come in to the shipyard (owned by North Vancouver’s Seaspan ULC) ever since he arrived from Portland, Oregon 10 months ago to take the reins as general manager. But he’s also actively bidding on a lot more commercial work, specifically aiming at markets in the United States due to the low Canadian dollar.

“I feel confident that Victoria Shipyards are going to continue to grow, albeit on a cycle. Some years are down versus others just because there’s only so much in that market you can grab,” said O’Rourke, noting the first six months of the year are busy, but after that the workload is fairly light.

http://www.vicnews.c.../365436901.html

Edited by amor de cosmos, 16 January 2016 - 09:50 AM.


#37 jonny

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Posted 16 January 2016 - 11:13 AM

I saw a cruise ship leaving Esquimalt harbour on Thursday night. I'm assuming it was at the drydock.

#38 johnk

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Posted 16 January 2016 - 12:53 PM

I saw a cruise ship leaving Esquimalt harbour on Thursday night. I'm assuming it was at the drydock.


I believe they have contracts with several cruise lines for maintenance, refit and repair work. Seems like a business that would certainly benefit from a low loonie.

#39 Mike K.

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Posted 16 January 2016 - 10:37 PM

That's what it would have been. They're short jobs, though.

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#40 dasmo

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Posted 17 January 2016 - 06:44 AM

That's what it would have been. They're short jobs, though.

short but sweet. Usually going to the already employed I believe. Yet another input to diversify our economy.

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