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HMCS Halifax returns to service after successful docking work period at Halifax Shipyard

Halifax Shipyard continues legacy as Halifax-class In-Service Support Centre of Excellence

To the applause of the workforce at Halifax Shipyard, the Ship’s Company of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Halifax eagerly marched to Halifax Shipyard today to accept their frigate following her successful docking work period (DWP).

HMCS Halifax entered the graving dock at Halifax Shipyard on October 20, 2016, for a DWP that included routine maintenance and upgrades to ensure the longevity of the vessel.

More than 530 of the Halifax Shipyard’s 1,500 employees worked on HMCS Halifax DWP. This includes 440 apprentice and journeyperson crane operators, electricians, engine fitters, ironworkers, joiners/stagers, labourers, material handlers, pipefitters, riggers, and welders, who are members of Unifor Local 1.

“The Halifax-class is a true representation of the skill and expertise of the workforce at Irving Shipbuilding,” said Kevin McCoy, president of Irving Shipbuilding. “Having built, modernized, and maintained these frigates so they can continue to be the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy fleet, our workforce knows the Halifax-class better than any shipyard.”

The ship's company of HMCS Halifax marches to Halifax Shipyard to accept the frigate (Photo Credit: Mona Ghiz, MARLANT PA)

HMCS Halifax DWP at Halifax Shipyard resulted in over $30 million in spending with more than 60 suppliers. Forty-eight Nova Scotia-based suppliers worked with Halifax Shipyard on the Halifax DWP, including Maritime Pressure Works, MacKinnon & Olding, CMS Steel Pro, and Gil-Son Construction, among others.

HMCS Halifax was the first of the Royal Canadian Navy’s seven east coast Halifax-class frigates to complete a mid-life overhaul at the Halifax Shipyard as part of the Government of Canada’s Halifax-class Modernization program. HMCS Halifax’s mid-life overhaul took place at Halifax Shipyard from 2010 to 2012.

All seven frigates overhauled at the Halifax Shipyard between 2010 and 2016 – Halifax, Fredericton, Montreal, Charlottetown, St. John’s, Ville de Quebec, and Toronto – were completed on schedule and under budget.

“With the Royal Canadian Navy as the closest neighbour to the Halifax Shipyard, we are at the ready to ensure the men and women of the Navy can rely on their ships and equipment to keep them safe and bring them back home,” said McCoy.

Halifax Shipyard is continuing its legacy as the Halifax-class In-Service Support Centre of Excellence, with HMCS Fredericton having arrived earlier this month for a scheduled DWP similar to the one HMCS Halifax just completed.