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 more than 2,000 workers 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.
At the outset of the ceremony, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) representative Rebecca Duncan brushed the ship’s keel with cedar boughs and sang a blessing song, a tradition her people have long used in launching new canoes to cleanse them and keep the vessels safe on the water.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on hand for the launch of the Protecteur, which he cited as a key example of Canada’s growing commitment to defence spending. Much of his praise though was for the folks wearing hardhats and standing in the rain as they watched their years of hard work pass a critical point in its creation.
“Our workers are the best in the world – smart, ambitious, hard working,” he said. “You are the reason we are gathered here today. You are the ones to which we need to be so incredibly grateful.… There’s a part of each and every one of you in this ship. As she sails the seas, as she defends our waters, as she safeguards Canadians and supports our allies across the oceans, she will be carrying a part of all of your legacy. You should be proud.”
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 Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard ships over 30 years as part of the national shipbuilding strategy.
Seaspan Shipyards CEO John McCartrjy described Protecteur’s launch as “one of the most important milestones in the history of Canadian shipbuilding.”
“I firmly believe that Seaspan’s workforce is second to none, and with two ship launches this year, including the HMCS Protecteur behind me and the Canadian Coast Guard’s offshore oceanographic science vessel, we are showing the world what I already know,” he said.
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.
North Vancouver MP and Minister of Energy and Natural Resource Jonathan Wilkinson noted Seaspan’s economic importance to the area.
“These are sustainable, well-paying jobs. They are careers, not just short-term employment, and they create significant benefits for many, many businesses across this region,” he said. “Seaspan has grown during that time into a world-class shipbuilder, and it has revitalized our historic marine industry. It is, without a doubt, an incredible B.C. success story.”
The latest 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 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 McCarthy said should come in at a lower cost thanks to lessons learned and efficiencies gained from building the Protecteur.
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.
“This is a great day. We are adding incredible capability for the Royal Canadian Navy that will ensure that we can sustain our ships at sea, serve Canadian interests, defend Canadian waters here in the approaches to North America, in all three of our oceans, and around the world, wherever we are needed,” he said.
He also praised Seapsan for providing Canada’s military with sovereign shipbuilding capabilities, and gave a shoutout to the young members of the 354 Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps in the crowd.
“It is my sincere hope that all of you look forward to the great opportunity you see behind me, and perhaps, one day, you can replace Commander Creasy as a future commanding officer of HMCS Protecteur.”
Ship Sponsor Teri McKinnon, who had the honour of smashing the bottle on the ship’s keel, said the level of skill that went into the creation of HMCS Protecteuir left her in “awe and wonder.”
It took about four good swings before the bottle of Black Hills Estate Winery brut broke, to cheers from the enormous crowd.
