Seaspan's Careen Drydock Returns After Indonesia Upgrade

The Seaspan Careen, the largest floating drydock at Seaspan's Vancouver Drydock, has returned to Burrard Inlet after a nine-month absence during which it underwent upgrades at an Indonesian shipyard. The 140-metre dock, which has a lifting capacity of up to 30,000 tonnes, completed its 32-day return voyage this week after being carried on a heavy lift vessel. The Careen was shipped overseas in February, with the dock itself loaded onto the transport vessel rather than the usual arrangement of a ship entering the drydock. Work included replacing and reinforcing the bottom of the 45-year-old structure to allow it to handle bigger and heavier vessels, upgrades intended to extend its operational life. According to Seaspan, the repairs were carried out in Indonesia because it was the closest shipyard with both a large enough drydock and the capacity to complete the work. Seaspan spokesperson Ana Arozarena said the company will spend the coming weeks preparing the Careen to support the launch of the future HMCS Preserver, the second joint support ship under construction at Vancouver Shipyards, expected in December. The dock is due to be back in its usual position by February. The Careen is one of three floating drydocks at Vancouver Drydock used to lift barges, cruise ships, ferries, coast guard vessels and smaller craft such as the SeaBus out of the water for repair. It has previously supported the launches of HMCS Protecteur and the CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk.