The team at Vancouver Shipyards stood tall yesterday afternoon as they watched Executive Chairman Kyle Washington, alongside four members of the Seaspan workforce, officially raise a 30-by-60-foot Canadian flag at the end of the newly completed outfitting pier.
Waving in the wind above the HMCS Protecteur — the longest naval vessel ever built in Canada — the flag now sits atop a 120-foot pole and will serve as a striking new landmark on the North Shore waterfront, joining the iconic ‘Big Blue’ gantry crane.
Before the flag could go up, the flagpole itself had to be installed — thanks to a collaborative effort between Vancouver Shipyards and Fraser River Pile and Dredge (FRPD). The metal pole arrived in four sections and was welded together on-site by Seaspan welders and ship fitters.
The rigging team also played a critical role in the installation of the flagpole and helped the flag raising go smoothly by ensuring the mechanism was functioning properly.
The idea for the flag came from a conversation several years ago between Kyle Washington and Jim Favreau, Senior Vice President of Operations. On a sunny Monday afternoon in June, that vision finally became a reality.
“After three years in the making, I can say it was well worth the wait. With the outfitting pier completed, the flag is now in place where it will be clearly visible from across the water in Vancouver,” Kyle said.
As he pressed a button to hoist the flag into the air, four Seaspan employees helped hold it steady, including a rigger and a welder who were directly involved in the flagpole’s installation.
“There’s a real sense of pride in our workforce,” Jim said. “Not only did our team come together to make this installation happen the day before Canada Day, but it’s bigger than that. We’re all proud to be building ships in Canada, for Canada. It’s a fitting time to raise this Canada flag above our operations right here in North Vancouver.”
Seaspan builds ships for Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy — and today, on Canada Day, the red and white made-in-Canada flag flying high over Vancouver Shipyards stands as a powerful symbol of that commitment, Seaspan said.