Hamilton will join two other Ontario cities in fabricating steel ship components for a west-coast shipbuilder in a new deal expected to bring at least 50 jobs to the province.
In his visit to Pier 14 on Thursday, premier Doug Ford revealed a partnership between Vancouver’s Seaspan Shipyards and Heddle Shipyards making the latter the primary supplier for ladders, gratings and handrails for the company who has a contract with the Canadian government to build joint support ships (JSS)
“They’re going to put the Ontario made logo on everything they make, my friends, as we deal with the economic fallout of COVID-19,” Ford said.
The deal, expected to generate tens of millions of dollars for Ontario, will see Heddle produce parts for at least three immediate shipbuilding projects, including an offshore oceanographic science vessel and others over the next decade.
St. Catharines and Thunder Bay are the other Heddle operations that will manufacture similar components for Seaspan.
The partnership is expected to bid on further projects including the construction of a polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.
“Awarding the polar icebreaker to the Seaspan, Heddle, and Genoa partnership would ensure the complete revitalization of Ontario shipyards,” said Heddle president Shaun Padulo.
The announcement comes just days after Hamilton was named as a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) which is expected to attract new investment and encourage local businesses to expand internationally.
The deal is part of a $4.8 billion investment by the province to support jobs as part of Ontario’s COVID-19 recovery plan.
In 2011, Canada embarked on a multibillion-dollar national shipbuilding strategy, a long-term project to renew Canada’s federal fleet of combat and non-combat vessels.