Seaspan Appoints New Marine Operations VP

By Mark Edward Nero

North Vancouver, BC-based marine transport company Seaspan has appointed Director of Operations Paul Hilder to the position of Vice President, Marine Operations, the company said Jan. 10.

In his new role on Seaspan’s senior leadership team, Hilder will be accountable for overseeing the operational efficiency and safety of all vessels and marine crews.

Working in collaboration with port captains, dispatch and the regulatory and compliance departments, Hilder will also oversee and monitor ongoing operational and training issues to reduce potential risks and liabilities to the company.

Hilder re-joined Seaspan Marine as Director of Operations in February 2016. Prior to that, he worked at Seabridge Marine Services in its International Chartering and Operations divisions where he specialized in heavy lift project cargoes and semi-submersible jobs. In that role, he also managed all new build deliveries and specialized in marine transports.

From 2008 to 2012, he was a vessel operations project supervisor with Seaspan. And, from 2005 to 2008 he was back at Seabridge Marine as Operations Manager.

“Paul has over 30 years’ experience in marine operations and is an invaluable part of the team,” Seaspan Marine President Bart Reynolds said in a statement. “I’m very happy he’s back in the Seaspan fold and look forward to working with him.”

Seaspan Appoints Three VPs

By Mark Edward Nero

Seaspan, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based association of companies specializing in coastal marine transportation, shipdocking/ship escort, ship repair and shipbuilding services, has named three new vice presidents to its senior leadership team, the company announced March 17.

The association has announced Linda Wortman as Vice President, Finance & Accounting; Catherine Chick as Vice President, Business Services & Technology; and Shawn Chylinski as Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment & Quality.

Chylinski joined Seaspan in June 2013 as Director, Safety & Environment and held that role until being appointed Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment & Quality (HSEQ) earlier this month.

As part of both the Seaspan Marine and Seaspan Shipyards Senior Leadership Teams, Chylinski will be expected to provide strategic leadership and direction for all HSEQ management systems throughout Seaspan.

He’s also expected to be, according to Seaspan, “the driving force behind a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, quality and efficiency throughout the company.”

Wortman joined Seaspan in 2008 as Controller, Marine. In her new role as Vice President, Finance & Accounting, she’s responsible for strategic financial oversight of the marine division and corporate services.

She will also advise Seaspan’s CFO and executive leadership team.

As Business Services & Technology VP, Chick’s role will be to provide vision and leadership for developing and implementing information technology initiatives in support of the company’s short and long term business strategies.

She joined Seaspan in 2012 to establish internal project management capabilities and system improvement projects. In 2013, her role expanded to include the management of IT Operations.

Largest-Ever Seaspan Bulk Barge

By Mark Edward Nero

On Sept. 29, Seaspan Marine unveiled the newest addition to its marine fleet – a 16,000-ton barge named Seaspan 252 – during an official commissioning ceremony at Seaspan’s North Vancouver barge maintenance terminal.

The 374-by-90-foot bulk barge is the largest of its kind in Canada, and can carry the equivalent of 1,454 dump truck loads of limestone.

The Seaspan 252, an open ocean, ABS classed + A1 barge, is the company’s fourth new barge over the past 10 months, following Seaspan 211 and Seaspan 212 in June and Solid 66 in late 2014.

The four new barges add a total of 44,000 tons of barging capacity and an almost 50 percent rise in volume to Seaspan’s fleet. The additional barges increase Seaspan’s ability to handle specialty and project cargo and prepare the company to meet the needs of both its current customers, as well as those in the LNG business.

Seaspan 252 was commissioned by Linda Peters, wife of Daniel Peters, a vice president of manufacturing with Ash Grove Cement Co. The barge is scheduled to enter service later this month for Ash Grove, hauling lime rock from Texada Island to Portland and Seattle.

“Today’s celebration exemplifies our latest investment in the future of British Columbia’s marine sector,” Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth said during the ceremony. “With the addition of four large barges to our fleet in less than a year, Seaspan continues to help drive Canada’s marine industrial base.”

Seaspan Marine Appoints New President

By Mark Edward Nero

Vancouver, British Columbia-based transportation company Seaspan Marine announced May 19 that Bart Reynolds has joined the company as president.

Reynolds joins Seaspan with more than 20 years of experience in positions of leadership and senior management, with the last 15 years consisting of positions in the offshore supply boat business in the United States, West Africa, the Mediterranean and Latin America.

He most recently served as Vice President, Americas at GulfMark Offshore, a company operating 72 offshore vessels in various markets around the world. Prior to that, he worked for offshore supply vessel company Tidewater Marine as an area manager.

Seaspan says that in his new role, Reynolds is expected to provide vision, leadership and direction for the company’s Marine Division. A significant part of his role, according to the company, will involve developing strategies and providing leadership around building exceptional customer relations, plus creating longstanding positive employee and union relationships.

In addition, Seaspan says, Reynolds will “promote and strengthen Seaspan Marine’s external reputation” through industry-wide representation and marine community involvement.

“We performed an exhaustive search across North America to find a leader with Bart’s world-class experience and track record of success, and I am thrilled to welcome him to the Seaspan family,” Seaspan CEO Jonathan Whitworth said.

$7.7 Million Ferry Upgrade Project Begins

By Mark Edward Nero

The BC Ferries vessel Queen of Oak Bay began the first phase of a multi-million dollar three-quarter life upgrade Nov. 28 at Seaspan Marine’s Vancouver Drydock in North Vancouver. The 33-year old ferry can carry 360 vehicles and 1,488 passengers and crew.

The extensive upgrade comprises multiple safety and mechanical improvements, including critical systems renewals, propulsion overhauls; electrical distribution upgrades; energy efficiency upgrades, including LED lighting in machinery compartments and HVAC enhancements; and large scale steel renewal.

Following the first phase of this major project, the vessel is scheduled to return to the Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay route in February 2015. The Queen of Coquitlam is replacing the Queen of Oak Bay for the time being.

The second phase of the Queen of Oak Bay’s three-quarter life upgrade is scheduled from November 2015 through February 2016 at BC Ferries’ Fleet Maintenance Unit in Richmond, where the remaining scope of the project includes upgrades to the passenger accommodations and services, energy efficiency upgrades, installation of state-of-the-art bridge and navigation systems, renewal of the steering systems, further electrical upgrades and replacement of end-of-life equipment.

“The Queen of Oak Bay project is part of the approximately $150 million that BC Ferries will spend in BC this year alone on annual vessel maintenance, refits and vessel upgrades,” Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Engineering, said. “This extensive upgrade is an important investment in one of our major vessels which will ensure we maintain a safe, reliable and efficient service.”

The Queen of Oak Bay is the first of C-Class vessel to undergo a three-quarter-life upgrade.

The Queen of Surrey will follow with the first phase of a three-quarter-life upgrade in Feb 2016, while the remaining C-Class vessels are set to undergo smaller asset betterments over the next four years, starting with the Queen of Coquitlam in September 2015.