Build / Support / Sustain

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Hello all,

Welcome to another edition of On Watch! I recently attended the H2O Conference in Halifax and was pleased to meet so many dynamic people in our sector from the East Coast as well as from Europe. I was also reminded of just how much exciting and innovative Oceantech is happening in the region. So many developments worth watching…  These face-to-face meetings are very important to us to ensure that we know what is happening in our sector, and our membership benefits and grows when the Association develops more contacts across Canada and abroad.

In this edition we are pleased to feature Chantier Naval Forillon’s Joanie Dansereau-Béchard. The shipyard on the St. Lawrence Seaway blends new technologies and innovation with the deep marine traditions in Gaspé, and it’s so encouraging to hear Joanie’s story of moving there and finding a new and supportive workplace as well as a home. We are very pleased to highlight the many innovations of our members in On Watch. If you are not yet a member, but would like to be, we encourage you to join here! If you know of others who might benefit from membership, please share the sign-up link.

We are happy to welcome new members to our Association: Steerprop, a leading designer and manufacturer of propulsion systems, Turbo systems Canada (Acceleron), producer of turbochargers that support the decarbonization and new regulations, Concept Naval, a company of naval architects, marine engineers and naval architecture technicians, Navanex, naval architects that provide custom board design, production engineering for shipyards and boat stability analysis for the marine community, Lengkeek Vessel Engineering Inc, a team of naval architects and marine engineers, and Viable Power Conversion Technologies Inc., provider of custom power supply solutions.

As you may have noticed, our job board is now self-serve and far less expensive! You are now able to post opportunities online without having to coordinate it with anyone. And due to that change, we are now able to reduce the cost to $49 per job per month for members and $99 for non-members. Please give it a try and let us know of any feedback. We are here to help. You will find the link here.

If you are reading this for the first time thanks to it being passed along to you, you are welcome to sign up for future editions here –  it’s free and we never share your emails with anyone. We publish our newsletter every two weeks and bring you news, procurement opportunities and features that pertain to our sector.

Finally, if you would like to provide us with feedback and input into items you would like to see covered in this newsletter, or if you would like us to create a unique member spotlight of your company, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Colin Cooke

President and CEO

Picture of Joanie Dansereau-Béchard courtesy of Chantier Naval Forillon

Chantier Naval Forillon is a Gaspé-based shipyard with an ideal geographical location at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The yard has the infrastructure and equipment to handle vessels of up to 800 tonnes, and an experienced and skilled set of employees from a variety of trades and disciplines. Founded over 70 years ago, the yard designs, builds and repairs fishing boats, service boats, barges, tugs and ferries for a variety of government and private customers.

Chantier Naval Forillon, according to Human Resource Coordinator Joanie Dansereau-Béchard, benefits not only from its ideal location, but also because it is such an important part of the culture in Gaspé. Its uniqueness is based on what Joanie calls “the human factor – we approach our work in a professional, accountable, agile and flexible manner to give our best to our clients and the ships we work on. Working here is such a positive experience where each employee is valued and encouraged to have a good work-life balance in a supportive work environment.” 

The shipyard combines the best of history and tradition with new technology and innovation. Leadership of the yard is also home-grown in that four team members bought the shipyard and took over the leadership and management in 2018, bringing a great deal of corporate knowledge to help propel the shipyard towards new horizons. With provincial and federal investments in shipbuilding, Chantier Naval Forillon is benefitting from a busy order book that takes advantage of the yards comprehensive offerings to the sector. As Joanie describes it, “we manage projects from A to Z, from design to production, and are able to leverage the enormous skill sets from our team, which includes all the trades necessary for shipbuilding.”

As a transplant to Gaspé, Joanie appreciates the high quality of life offered in the region. Her role in human resources is challenging, as shipyards across the country struggle to recruit workers, but with the excellent reputation of the yard and the favourable workplace and innovative projects, she is optimistic. If her experience as a newcomer to the company and to the region are anything to go on, working at the shipyard is so much more than just a job! Being a member of the Canadian Marine Industries and Shipbuilding Association is also helpful in this regard, as the increased networking, partnerships and collaborations gives the shipyard greater visibility and helps to ensure that the firm is known across the country.

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HMCS Sackville

HMCS Sackville is the last surviving WWII corvette, and she needs your financial support to keep her afloat. These “cheap and nasties” were born out of a need to defend convoys from the German U-boat threat. Like their French naval predecessors, Canadian corvettes were built on an old single-hulled whaler design. We re-plated over the original steel in 2020, however Sackville requires a new hull to remain in the water for posterity.

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