Seaspan signs MoU to reestablish domestic supply chain with Stigterstaal Canada & Algoma Steel

Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Stigterstaal Canada and Algoma Steel Inc. to explore a strategic partnership aimed at reestablishing a domestic steel supply chain focused on bolstering and expanding shipbuilding in Canada.

The memorandum provides a framework for the three companies to assess the feasibility of Algoma Steel supplying Class and non-Class steel to Seaspan through Stigterstaal, who will act as a commercial and logistical subcontractor. All parties will engage in discussions to evaluate technical, commercial and logistical requirements for Seaspan’s first-in-class icebreaker build. The collaboration also seeks to strengthen Canadian industrial capabilities and support the long-term sustainability of the national shipbuilding sector.

In April, Seaspan began construction on the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new heavy polar icebreaker. This will be the only heavy Polar Icebreaker to be fully built in Canada and, once delivered, will be the largest and most capable ship in the CCG’s fleet. The ship will be used for scientific expeditions, search and rescue missions, and protecting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Capable of breaking 2.5 meters of ice continuously, the ship will be used for year-round operations in the Arctic. The heavy icebreaker is the seventh vessel designed and built by Seaspan under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).