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Bill Lind, current vice president of Vard Marine’s Houston operations, has announced his plans to retire from the company at the end of June. Bill has led the Houston team since 2013 and has transformed the office into a key contender in the marine engineering industry in the Gulf Coast and in US government programs. He was also instrumental in expanding Vard Marine’s clientele base and molding the Houston office into the dynamic and capable team it is today.

Moving forward, Vard Marine is pleased to announce that Darren Truelock, current Technical Operations Manager, will be the new vice president in the Houston office effective July 2nd.

President/CEO of Vard Marine, Dave McMillan, said:

“Bill has been a tremendous asset since joining the company in 2013 and has used his business knowledge and broad contact base to strengthen the team in Houston and expand our core business through key hires and strategic project successes. We wish him well as he enters the more relaxed pace and reduced stress of retirement while occasionally being involved with the company in the future as needed.”

“Bill’s replacement, Darren Truelock, was one of Bill’s first hires after joining, and with his experience and drive has been a perfect fit with the company’s strategic goals. He has a passion and goal to ensure the company succeeds and with Bill’s guidance has grown into a natural successor for the role as vice president.”

Vard Marine is pleased to congratulate Durban-based Southern African Shipyards (SAS) on being selected for the design and construction of the South African Navy’s new hydrographic survey vessel, which will replace the SAS Protea. The winning bid is based on Vard Marine’s VARD 9 105 science vessel concept, a well-proven design that has been specifically tailored to South Africa’s unique requirements and designed to incorporate the latest hydrographic and oceanographic sensor suite.

Vard Marine was contracted earlier this week to complete the Basic Design and support SAS through detailed design and construction of the VARD 9 105 science vessel.

The vessel configuration results in a PC7 ice strengthened vessel of 95M in length with approximately 7800kW propulsion power, a shafted controllable pitch propeller, and a maximum speed of 18 knots. The vessel has a 10,000nm range with 44 days endurance; and will be manned by a total crew of 120 persons comprising ships’ crew and scientists.

The VARD 9 105 is an evolution from the Vard Marine designed hydrographic survey vessels HMS Echo and HMS Enterprise successfully delivered in 2002 to the UK Royal Navy.

Vard Marine Inc. is pleased to join Seaspan Shipyards, the Government of Canada, and the Canadian Coast Guard in celebrating the launch of the Sir John Franklin, the first of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSVs). This is the first large vessel designed and built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and was launched on December 8th, 2017 at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver. The vessel is now undergoing inclining tests after which it will then go to Ogden Point for completion and then final tests and trials before delivery. The other two vessels of the class are currently under construction at the shipyard, with the second ship on schedule to be launched in 2018.

Quote from Dave McMillan – President and CEO of Vard Marine
“Vard Marine is pleased to have worked with Seaspan Shipyards on the design of these vessels. We were responsible for the structure, stability, mechanical systems, arrangements, and safe operability of the vessel and we also provided support to Seaspan’s Engineering Department in the development of standards and new processes used to construct the NSS vessels at the shipyard. Our partnership with Seaspan has spanned over 4 years and has enabled our company to more than double in size since we began our collaboration. Vard Marine now employees 77 people in the Vancouver area and thanks to the long-term and predictable nature of the NSS, we are able to undertake significant investments in our people, processes, and facilities to make our business more competitive for future opportunities in Canada, and around the world.”

The Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Sir John Franklin is the lead ship of the three Polar Class OFSVs and will be based out of Patricia Bay on Vancouver Island and will principally operate in the North Pacific, including the Arctic during the summer months. The remaining two OFSVs when delivered will be based in Eastern Canada and will service the Atlantic region.

Quote from Brian Carter – President and CEO of Seaspan Shipyards
“Seaspan Shipyards is proud to partner with Vard Marine on our work under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. As we work to build Canada’s next generation of non-combat vessels, Seaspan Shipyards is also helping to rebuild our domestic shipbuilding industry. The launch of the first Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel is a tremendous milestone that we are pleased to mark with our supplier community.”

The primary mission of the OFSVs is to provide research and data collection on fish and invertebrates in Canadian waters for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They are specially designed to be a platform for oceanography, hydrography and fisheries science and will play a vital role in monitoring and maintaining the health of Canada’s oceans. The OFSVs will also play a secondary role providing emergency response in Canadian waters.

The CCGS Sir John Franklin is 63m overall with an endurance of 31 days and a range of 8,500 nautical miles. It has accommodation for up to 36 persons, including a crew and 13 scientists. The 7,750kW rated diesel-electric power plant operates quietly and efficiently and, through the single propulsion motor, drives the vessel at a service speed of 12.5 knots. It is equipped with specialized scientific equipment, including a variety of fishing nets, a wet lab, a marine mammal observation station, and a drop keel that allows scientists to take a variety of samples and measurements. The vessel has been designed according to Ice Class PC7 requirements which allows it to safely operate in ice-infested waters.

The launch of the CCGS Sir John Franklin is a milestone achievement as it is the first large non-combat ship designed and built under the NSS. The NSS has sustained the growth of Canada’s domestic shipbuilding industry and provides valuable economic and employment opportunities across the country. Vard Marine will continue to work closely with Seaspan in designing and building other non-combat ships under the NSS including the projects currently underway; the 86m Canadian Coast Guard Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) and the two 174m Joint Support Ships (JSS).

WorkBoat Magazine has named the Vard 3 340, the Harvey Sub-Sea/Harvey Blue-Sea, its Boat of the Year. Competing against nine other significant vessels in the industry, the announcement was made during an awards ceremony at the International Workboat Show on 30 November 2017. The Vard 3 340 was custom-tailored and designed for owner Harvey Gulf International Marine and built at Eastern Shipbuilding Group. The vessels are 340’x73’ multipurpose supply vessels (MPSVs), with nearly 6,000 –dwt and will provide deep-water subsea support in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Vard Marine is pleased to congratulate Eastern Shipbuilding Group and our team partners on being selected for the detailed design and construction phase for the US Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program.  We look forward to completing detailed development of the VARD 7 110 design that formed the basis for our successful bid and supporting Eastern Shipbuilding group in constructing high-quality vessels for the US Coast Guard.

Winning the OPC Detail Design and Construction contract is the culmination of an excellent relationship between Eastern Shipbuilding and Vard Marine that spans more than 15 years. During that period, we have partnered to deliver over 30 vessels completed to Eastern Shipbuilding’s superior standard of quality, on time and on budget. Drawing from Vard Marine’s extensive experience working with international navies and coast guards, the OPC design will use proven methods to meet or exceed reliability requirements, while employing new technologies and innovative solutions to address the Coast Guard’s stringent and demanding mission objectives.

Ireland’s Department of Defence has awarded Babcock International Group a contract extension that will see Babcock’s Appledore shipbuilding facility in North Devon, England, build a fourth Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) for the Irish Naval Service (INS).

The new vessel follows the successful build and launch of two earlier OPV’s for the Irish Naval Service at Appledore; LÉ Samuel Beckett and second in class LÉ James Joyce.  A third ship, the LÉ William Butler Yeats is currently being built and is due to embark on sea trials in July 2016.

The yet unnamed fourth OPV will be due for completion in summer 2018 and will support the Irish Naval Service for decades to come.

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Vard Marine is pleased to have been awarded design support contracts with two independent bidders on the US Navy LCU 1700 Program. The work to evaluate the proposed replacement to the current LCU1610 design is to be completed within 100 days of contract award and each contract is worth approximately $250,000 USD.  This award is the next step in the replacement program for the current LCU1610 Landing craft operated by the US Navy.