Award

The UK-based classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has granted the maritime industry’s ‘first-ever’ enhanced antifouling type approval to Canada-based coatings company Graphite Innovation & Technologies (GIT Coatings).

The type approval was created to provide ship owners and operators with ‘validated assurance’ for antifouling coatings’ performance concerning hull cleanliness and smoothness, pre- and post-grooming operations, LR explained.

As disclosed, GIT Coatings was awarded the approval for its XGIT-Fuel graphene-based hull coating, made in such a manner that it creates an ultra-low friction surface, which is believed to increase vessel performance and reduce emissions without the use of biocides, silicon oils, or other toxic components.

The vessel’s out-of-dock performance is reportedly maintained during the docking cycle using a ‘hull grooming program’ the role of which is to remove biofoul from the hull without damaging or delaminating its paint or discharging various organisms into the marine ecosystem.

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We are pleased to present the Vice admiral (ret'd) Peter Cairns Leadership Award
Generously sponsored by Heddle Marine

Call for submissions

The Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Cairns Award is created to recognize and honour a Canadian innovator and trailblazer in the shipbuilding industry who has made an inspiring contribution to Canada, the Canadian Marine sector and the Canadian shipbuilding industry.

Vice-Admiral(Ret’d) Cairns joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1956 and assumed his first Command of HMC Submarine Onondaga in 1972, and later, became Commander of the First Canadian Submarine Squadron in 1974. He subsequently commanded HMC Ships Fraser, Margaree and Assiniboine. His last appointments were as Commander Maritime Forces Pacific in 1989 and as Commander Maritime Command in 1992 before he retired in 1994.

In 1998 after a brief period with SPAR AEROSPACE, Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Cairns went onto lead the Shipbuilding Association of Canada as its President for 20 years. During his tenure Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Cairns was dedicated and persistent in his advocacy to the government of Canada for a national policy on federal shipbuilding. Under his leadership and articulation of Canada’s need for a modern navy and a sustainable industry, the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy was born. Later re-named the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) it went onto be the policy framework for the award of combat and non-combat ships worth over $100B.

Under his tenure as the President of the Shipbuilding Industry Association for 20+ years, Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Cairns was instrumental in the development and enablement of the most substantial marine industrial policy development in Canada since WWII.

In the years to come, as a result of his dedicated and persistent leadership, the Canadian government will make its single largest investment since Confederation of over $100B into the fleet renewal of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Coast Guard.

This recapitalization of Canada’s federal fleets, will not only replace Canada’s ageing combat fleet, and create a new level of ice-breaking and rescue capability for Canada it will establish a vibrant and modern shipbuilding industry, in Canada, for future generations.

Vice-Admiral (Ret’d)Cairns stewardship and persistence in his associations and participation in the development and championship of the National Shipbuilding Strategy will ultimately provide stability for the marine sector, the RCN, the Coast Guard, and the maritime community in Canada.

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Gordon Bain, a leading figure in Quebec’s harbour tug and salvage industry, was honoured at the International Tug & Salvage Convention (« ITS ») gala in Dubai on May 23rd. Ocean Group’s founder received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his distinguished career. This prestigious recognition confirms his invaluable contribution and dedication to the maritime industry.

A CAREER DEVOTED TO MARITIME EXCELLENCE

Gordon Bain has dedicated his life to the improvement and innovation of the harbour towage industry. With a career spanning several decades, he has seen and contributed to many technological and operational developments in the industry. His vision and leadership have led to significant advances in safety, efficiency and sustainability.

Mr. Bain’s early days in the marine industry were marked by creativity, a commitment to improving towing practices, and a little risk-taking at times! His passion for innovation and attention to detail helped set high performance standards in the industry.

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The federal government is giving a massive financial injection to the B.C. shipbuilding industry.

The Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver will receive more than $490 million over two contracts for the next stages in building Multi-Purpose Vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard.

“The Multi-Purpose Vessel project will help ensure that members of the Canadian Coast Guard have versatile vessels to complete essential missions in Canada’s oceans and waterways,” Minister of Public Services and Procurement Jean-Yves Duclos said Tuesday.

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Chantier Davie Canada Inc. (Davie) today announced it has been awarded its first National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) contract by the Government of Canada for the design of the six-ship fleet of Canada’s future Program Icebreakers. This major milestone marks the beginning of Davie’s NSS work package to replenish Canada’s Arctic fleet and each initiative under the contract will help advance upcoming design, construction, delivery and support phases for these strategic ships.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s Minister of Public Services and Procurement (PSPC) said: “This first contract awarded to Chantier Davie under the National Shipbuilding Strategy brings us a step closer to providing the Canadian Coast Guard with the next generation Arctic ships. They will be among the most advanced, sustainable and durable vessels tailored to the world’s harshest environments. The new fleet will be symbolic of Canada’s Arctic presence and crucial to keeping our country open for business year-round.”

Davie President and CEO, James Davies, said: “This is a momentous first step in our journey to deliver a fleet of the largest and most advanced icebreakers ever built in and for Canada. My heartfelt thanks go to the dedicated teams at Davie, the Canadian Coast Guard and PSPC. They have spent countless hours preparing for this historic milestone. Now, we can’t wait to get working on renewing Canada’s Arctic fleet.”

Davie will establish a Program Icebreaker project management and design office, providing compelling opportunities for current and future generations of Canadian shipbuilders. Davie is committed to recruiting teams of highly skilled shipbuilding professionals, who will drive all aspects of constructing the world’s largest order book of heavy icebreakers.

Moreover, Davie will engage critical subcontractors to design and certify the vessel to established safety, environmental, and performance standards. Building on Davie’s proven track record of delivering vessels of exceptional quality and performance, this early phase is fundamental in guaranteeing sustained operational readiness and capability to best serve the CCG’s missions.

Julian Kenney, Program Director for the Program Icebreakers at Davie, said: “Embarking on the design and construction of Canada’s new icebreaker fleet is a great source of pride for everyone at Davie. We have a strong partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard and our top priority is to design and build the icebreakers Canada needs to keep our waterways open, protect our environment, and secure the Arctic.”

About Davie Based in Québec, Canada since 1825, Davie is a world-class designer and builder of specialist, mission-critical ships such as icebreakers, ferries and warships for government and commercial customers. Davie became a partner in the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy on April 4, 2023. This historic agreement is for the design and construction of the largest and most technologically advanced ships ever constructed in and for Canada. The initial $8.5 billion package of work includes seven heavy icebreakers and two large hybrid-powered ferries. Davie is a part of Group Davie, which in November 2023 acquired Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard, the world leader in icebreaker design and construction. Find out more at davie.ca and helsinkishipyard.fi.

For further information, please contact: Marcel Poulin Director, External Affairs and Industrial Participation, Davie marcel.poulin@davie.ca +1 581 992-8564

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Halifax – Global Spatial Technology Solutions has  announced that it has been awarded a contract by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster’s Core Technology Leadership Program to advance the capabilities of its proprietary, AI powered SaaS platform, OCIANA™. 

This award enables GSTS to further develop and implement a predictive, dynamic Berth Schedule Management System which will facilitate digital collaboration and enhance global supply chain efficiency through reduced vessel emissions and fuel use.

Working in partnership with leading maritime innovators including Canada Steamship Lines, Montreal Port Authority, Laurentian Pilotage Authority and Clear Seas, OCIANA’s latest capability will streamline vessel berthing through AI Predictive Analytics to support Just-in-Time Arrivals (JIT).

OCIANA’s Berth Schedule Management System will connect ships, pilotage authorities and ports to support Green Digital Shipping Corridors and environmental protection thus promoting the overall efficiency of the maritime supply chain.

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Here is an innovative and versatile development of the RIB concept that provides both excellent visibility and comfort to passengers watching whales in cold Canadian waters. All of these were undertaken with a remarkable sense of aesthetics, resulting in this impressive whale-watching boat.

“The vessel was developed for whales observation, and so all seats are configured to have a direct view of the sea from inside,” Jean-David Samuel, Navanex President and CEO, told Baird Maritime. “The wheelhouse has an excellent position from which an operator can see and hear whales and thus inform passengers of the animals’ presence via an open window. It is also highly manoeuvrable and boasts tremendous power.”

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“The vessel represents the accomplishment of the evolution of the crabbers that we have designed and built since the 1990s,” Navanex told Baird Maritime. “This new design uses high quality standards and is developed to be versatile, safe, and durable, in addition to having a very neat hull. She’s inspired to look like a large fishing vessel.”

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The federal government is committed to ensuring members of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) have the equipment they need to complete their missions and assert Canada’s sovereignty.

Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, announced that the federal government has awarded a contract valued at up to $1.85 billion (including taxes) to Lockheed Martin Canada (LMC) for the renewal of combat system integration in-service support (CSI ISS) for the Halifax-class frigates.

The renewal of this contract will ensure continued CSI service support until the end-of-life expectancy is reached for the Halifax-class frigates, coinciding with the gradual arrival of the new fleet of River-class destroyer ships. This contract is estimated to contribute $76 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product and to support up to 680 good-paying jobs annually across the Canadian economy.

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Ensuring that Canadian Coast Guard personnel have reliable equipment to keep Canada’s waterways safe and open for business is a key priority for the Government of Canada.

Today, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, announced a contract award following a competitive process, valued at approximately $44 million (including taxes) to Ocean Industries Inc. for the vessel life extension of the CCGS Griffon.

Scheduled to take place from June 2025 to October 2026, the vessel life extension work entails refurbishing and repairing the main propulsion motors, the steering gear system, the four main propulsion generators, and the main emergency switchboards. Other new equipment installations include a new stores crane, a new mast, a new propulsion control system, a set of propellers, an oily water separator, boilers, HVAC units, a sewage treatment plant, and various piping replacements, all of which will increase the vessel’s operational life and maintain its safety and reliability

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The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has asked for engineering design consultancy services from Griffon Hoverwork to update their current air cushion vehicle (ACV) design and to conduct feasibility studies into alternative power plant options.

The Canadian Coast Guard operates a fleet of four ACVs, which primarily support the CCG’s search & rescue, icebreaking and marine navigation services mandate in the central and western regions of Canada. Due to their aluminium build and icebreaking core duty in harsh environments, the ACVs have a relatively short in-service life expectancy and are ready to be replaced.

Mark Downer, Engineering Director at Griffon Hoverwork, says: “Griffon’s experience in ACVs is extensive, with a track record of our products operating in more than 45 countries and a pedigree stretching back seven decades. Over that time we have continually evolved our hovercraft, both in terms of upgrading existing models and introducing new designs.

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anada has awarded a £15.1m ($19.2m) contract to Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) for the production of a lightweight Torpedo Launcher System (TLS) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) on a major naval vessel programme, to be completed in 2030, with work expected to begin immediately, according to a release from Cohort PLC, SEA’s parent company, on 29 January.

SEA’s TLS is a weapon-agnostic system capable of firing a range of Nato standard lightweight torpedos. With more than 30 years service with the UK Royal Navy, the system has a proven modular and flexible design, capable of firing the US Mk 44, Mk 46 and Mk 54 torpedoes, UK Sting Ray, Italian A244S, French MU 90 and the Korean Blue Shark.

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VICTORIA – Damen Shipyards Group (Damen) is the successful proponent to build four new hybrid electric Island Class vessels for BC Ferries that will add capacity across the system and help improve the travel experience for passengers.

“The new hybrid electric vessels will further standardize our fleet, both increasing capacity and improving our flexibility to move ships across routes so our passengers can have confidence that we’ll get them where they need to go,” said Nicolas Jimenez, BC Ferries’ President and CEO. “Adding more Island Class vessels will also make it easier to deploy crew, create efficiencies in training costs, and promote safe, reliable and environmentally conscious ferry services up and down the coast.”

Damen, the same shipyard that built BC Ferries’ previous six Island Class ferries, is based out of the Netherlands and will build the vessels in Romania. Its bid was selected from among several proposals received from around the world. No Canadian companies submitted a bid.

This agreement with Damen is a design-build, fixed-priced contract that provides BC Ferries with substantial guarantees related to delivery dates, performance criteria, cost certainty and quality construction.

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Ensuring that Canadian Coast Guard personnel have reliable equipment to keep Canada’s waterways open and safe is a key priority for the Government of Canada.

Today, the Canadian Coast Guard announced two contract awards for the vessel life extension of CCGS Martha L. Black and CCGS Leonard J. Cowley, respectively at the value of $31.5 million and $29.7 million. Both vessels will be dry-docked and enter an extended maintenance period designed to increase their operational life.

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We are pleased to present the Vice admiral (ret'd) Peter Cairns Leadership Award
Generously sponsored by Heddle Marine

Call for submissions

The Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Cairns Award is created to recognize and honour a Canadian innovator and trailblazer in the shipbuilding industry who has made an inspiring contribution to Canada, the Canadian Marine sector and the Canadian shipbuilding industry.

Vice-Admiral(Ret’d) Cairns joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1956 and assumed his first Command of HMC Submarine Onondaga in 1972, and later, became Commander of the First Canadian Submarine Squadron in 1974. He subsequently commanded HMC Ships Fraser, Margaree and Assiniboine. His last appointments were as Commander Maritime Forces Pacific in 1989 and as Commander Maritime Command in 1992 before he retired in 1994.

In 1998 after a brief period with SPAR AEROSPACE, Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Cairns went onto lead the Shipbuilding Association of Canada as its President for 20 years. During his tenure Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Cairns was dedicated and persistent in his advocacy to the government of Canada for a national policy on federal shipbuilding. Under his leadership and articulation of Canada’s need for a modern navy and a sustainable industry, the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy was born. Later re-named the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) it went onto be the policy framework for the award of combat and non-combat ships worth over $100B.

Under his tenure as the President of the Shipbuilding Industry Association for 20+ years, Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Cairns was instrumental in the development and enablement of the most substantial marine industrial policy development in Canada since WWII.

In the years to come, as a result of his dedicated and persistent leadership, the Canadian government will make its single largest investment since Confederation of over $100B into the fleet renewal of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Coast Guard.

This recapitalization of Canada’s federal fleets, will not only replace Canada’s ageing combat fleet, and create a new level of ice-breaking and rescue capability for Canada it will establish a vibrant and modern shipbuilding industry, in Canada, for future generations.

Vice-Admiral (Ret’d)Cairns stewardship and persistence in his associations and participation in the development and championship of the National Shipbuilding Strategy will ultimately provide stability for the marine sector, the RCN, the Coast Guard, and the maritime community in Canada.

View Online