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Seaspan launches HMCS Protecteur, Canada's longest naval ship

A celebration in North Vancouver Friday marked the launch of the 173-metre vessel that will resupply Canadian and allied warships at sea
Brent Richter
Brent Richter
nsn-hmcs-protecteur
HMCS Proteceur prepares for its launch at North Vancouver's Seaspan shipyards.Seaspan

North Vancouver’s Seaspan has launched the longest naval ship ever built in Canada, complete with a bottle of sparkling B.C. wine smashed on the bow.

Dignitaries, elected officials, naval leadership and the company's massive staff gathered at Seaspan's Pemberton Avenue shipyard Friday for the official naming and launch of HMCS Protecteur.

When it is completed and turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy in 2025, the 173.7-metre joint support ship will be tasked with resupplying Canadian and allied warships at sea with fuel, food, spare parts, and ammunition. The ship will contain helicopter maintenance repair equipment, exercise and gym facilities, medical and dental care centres, a barber shop and a library, among other amenities.

“With our investment in joint support ships, Canadian workers are building the fleet of the future and equipping the Royal Canadian Navy with modern and versatile ships. Today’s naming of the HMCS Protecteur – the longest naval vessel ever constructed in Canada – is yet another stride in cutting-edge Canadian defence innovation. We’re creating more jobs, ramping up defence spending, and keeping our coastlines safe,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a press release Friday.

Navy Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee welcomed the impending arrival of Protecteur to Canada’s fleet, saying it will be put to good use in humanitarian operations and multinational exercises around the globe.

“Today is an exciting day for the Royal Canadian Navy as we move another step closer to delivering the future fleet our sailors need to protect Canada in all three of our oceans and support Canadian interests around the world,” he said.

HMCS Protecteur is the fifth ship launched by Seaspan since the company was one of two shortlisted by the federal government in 2010 to replace the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard ships over 30 years under the national shipbuilding strategy. Modernizing the shipyard and staffing up for the work has made Seaspan the largest employer on the North Shore, contributing $5.7 billion to Canada’s GDP since 2012, while also creating or sustaining more than 7,000 jobs annually, a 2023 report found.

“The shipbuilders at Seaspan are second-to-none. For the thousands of Seaspan designers, engineers, shipbuilders and partners involved in the JSS program, today’s ceremony marks an unforgettable highlight in our ongoing journey under the National Shipbuilding Strategy,” said John McCarthy, Seaspan Shipyards CEO. “Today’s achievement gives us an immense feeling of pride, and I commend all the men and women who rose to the challenge of constructing a complex first-in-class vessel.”

The maritime megaproject has been subject to now-familiar cost overruns seen in other industries and public works. When the federal government awarded Seaspan the contract for the two joint support ships in June 2020, the cost was quoted at $2.448 billion. In August 2024, the federal government confirmed it had increased the value of the contract by $951 million, citing pandemic-related delays, supply chain disruptions, inflation, foreign exchange rate changes and rising labour costs.

The second joint support ship in Seaspan’s work order, HMCS Preserver, is on schedule to be launched in 2027, which the company has said should come in at a lower cost thanks to lessons learned and efficiencies gained for from building the Protecteur.

In a release, North Vancouver MP and Minister of Energy and Natural Resource Jonathan Wilkinson noted Seaspan’s economic importance to the area and thanked the crews who made Protecteur.

“I congratulate the hundreds of designers and shipbuilders responsible for bringing us to this tremendous milestone, which will support Canadian naval operations along Canada’s west coast and around the world. Your dedication and skill are a vital pillar for the North Shore community, and for the safety and economic prosperity of our country,” he said.