Seaspan Shipyards – Joint Support Ship (HMCS Protecteur) Construction

Chinook Welding Ltd. contributed to the construction of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Joint Support Ships at Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver, BC, supporting one of Canada’s most significant naval shipbuilding programs.

As part of this project, our team worked on the structural build of HMCS Protecteur—the first Joint Support Ship and the longest naval vessel ever constructed in Canada. Serving in a lead hand capacity, we were responsible for coordinating welding activities and supporting the fabrication, fitting, and installation of heavy structural steel components throughout the vessel construction process.

Our scope included performing flux-core and stick welding on large-scale ship components, contributing to both naval support vessels and Coast Guard fisheries ships being constructed at the yard. All work was completed in accordance with shipbuilding standards, ensuring structural integrity across complex assemblies.

In addition to welding, we completed detailed fitting of structural ship components, utilizing torch cutting, grinding, and plasma cutting techniques to achieve precise alignment and integration within large vessel sections.

This project highlights Chinook Welding Ltd.’s experience in shipyard welding, heavy structural fabrication, and large-scale marine construction, supporting complex builds within one of Canada’s leading marine industrial facilities.

Project Highlights

• Joint Support Ship program (Royal Canadian Navy)

• Construction of HMCS Protecteur (largest naval vessel built in Canada)

• Lead hand coordination of welding and fabrication activities

• Flux-core and stick welding on heavy structural ship components

• Structural fitting using torch cutting, grinding, and plasma cutting

• Support of naval and Coast Guard vessel construction

• Work performed within a major shipyard environment (Seaspan, North Vancouver)