RCN Public Affairs, 18 September 2023.
On September 6, 2023, the second Replenishment at Sea (RAS) post was installed onto the future His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Protecteur. This installation represents the finished construction of all 123 structural blocks for the first Joint Support Ship (JSS). Major structural blocks were manufactured by Ideal Welders in Richmond, British Columbia and installed at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard.
Production effort on HMCS Protecteur is now focused on outfitting piping, cabling, and internal systems. The RAS posts are a key structure used for the ship’s primary mission of resupply of fuel and stores at sea to Royal Canadian Navy and allied vessels.
Lessons learned from this first installation are being incorporated into the second JSS construction, which is well underway.
7 thoughts on “JSS completes structural construction on HMCS Protecteur”
If I understand correctly what the RCN and Seaspan are saying in various online documents, three NSS ships are currently under construction at Seaspan. These are JSS 1, JSS 2, and the CCG’s offshore oceanographic science vessel.
This seems to be an acceleration of the previously-announced production schedule.
Am I correct?
Ubique.
Les
I haven’t heard any official announcements of an acceleration, but like you I was surprised to find out that they were able to work on three ships at once. In particular, I was surprised that they can apparently assemble the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel at the same time as the first JSS, and at some speed, to judge by the photographs. However I doubt that the delivery times are being moved up. More likely they have faced the fact that they have to move forward on multiple ships at once to have any hope of meeting the existing schedule. The Polar Icebreaker must be in service before the Louis St Laurent breaks down or is retired in 2030. That is a huge ship, apparently difficult to build, and they cannot even begin work until the first JSS and OOSV are moved out of the way.
The yard has also reported selected statistics suggesting that the speed of construction on modules of the OOSV and second JSS are is substantially faster than on the first JSS. Which would be an encouraging sign.
One question I have been wondering about: who controls Seaspan? It seems to be a multinational company with considerable ties to both the US and China. But who is really in charge? Can we be sure our defence contracts are not reported back to the People’s Liberation Army Navy? Or, for that matter, the US government?
Hi Michael,
You make/raise very interesting and sensible points/questions that I had not considered.
Thank you for the insights.
Ubique.
Les
My takeaway is that both JSS 1 and with JSS 2 especially will more than likely be built and not subject to cancellation. Once build processes and lessons learned were refined, it was natural that work and schedules would accelerate.
A very encouraging idea Ted.
I hope that your (very sensible) logic prevails with whoever is the government over the time it takes to complete and commission the two JSS.
Ubique.
Les
Today, Sept 28, Seaspan posted a third quarter update to their website, at https://www.seaspan.com/stories/seaspan-shipyards-q3-update-continuous-improvement/ .
Excerpts follow:
Vancouver Shipyards
At Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards, we have been executing a continuous improvement plan to improve efficiency, quality and increased capacity and throughput. These efficiencies can be seen most broadly on Joint Support Ship (JSS)2, where good progress is being made by incorporating lessons learned from JSS1 and is benefitting from high levels of design maturity. Block assembly, outfitting, and grandblocking are all underway and progressing well. On JSS1, pipe and cable installation continue to increase, and hull painting has commenced, as we prepare the vessel for launch in 2024. The vessel’s final major block installation, both RAS kingposts, was completed in September.
The OOSV is also seeing efficiencies which are being realized because of Seaspan’s technological investments combined with a more experienced workforce. As it currently stands, the vessel is now over 60% complete following a number of major block installations this summer. We are also preparing this vessel for launch in 2024.
Construction continues on our Polar Icebreaker prototype block, where lessons learned will be incorporated when we begin full rate construction in 2025. Progress on basic design of the Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPV)s continues to track well.
Victoria Shipyards
At Victoria Shipyards, the return of large cruise ships to our drydock continued, with the arrival of the Disney Wonder in late September. On the VISSC program, HMCS Victoria’s Extended Docking Work Period is underway and the team here at Victoria Shipyards is completing the removal of all the equipment off the submarine and supporting the survey team in the completion of this important work. Victoria is scheduled to be returned to the Navy in 2027. HMCS Calgary also started a work period in early 2023 with a scheduled completion date of May 2024. As the fleet ages beyond the anticipated life expectancy of the vessels, all the frigates, both west and east coast, are experiencing corrosion both in the hull and on the interior of the vessels. As a result of work required because of the vessel’s age, we will be docking the vessel several times during the work period, the first of which is now complete, from March 29 – Sept 13. After a fast-paced and quick docking of the Disney Wonder, HMCS Calgary will go back into dock in early October to continue further under water hull work, with an undocking in early December. Aside from the steel work, we continue to complete a series of preventative maintenance activities and upgrade various systems throughout the work period.
Thank you Michael.
These updates never seem to make it into the national media. Thus, if you had not started posting them I would still be wondering when construction of JSS 2 would commence.
Ubique.
Les