Confined Space Robotics Awarded $1.5M Contract to Automate Blast and Paint at Seaspan Shipyard

Confined Space Robotics (“CSR”) has been awarded a $1.5 million contract by Seaspan Shipyards to develop and integrate abrasive blast and paint robotic systems at Seaspan’s Vancouver shipyard. Seaspan employs approximately 5,000 workers across facilities in North Vancouver and Victoria, building vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard.

CSR is an Alberta-based company that rents, sells, leases and trains semiautonomous robots designed to replace human labour in dangerous work settings. Blast and paint operations are used in both new shipbuilding and in complex submarine repair and overhaul projects. These processes often involve hazardous conditions that expose workers to fumes and repetitive strain. CSR’s deployment of robotics will reduce workplace injury and worker exposure to toxic fumes and particles.

The project will also expand domestic manufacturing and enhance Canada’s shipbuilding supply chain by integrating Canadian-made tools, including needle scalers, laser ablation systems, grinders, grit-blasters, and spray-coating equipment onto mobile platforms with custom AI path planning software. These technologies increase precision in confined spaces to boost efficiency, safety and sustainability, all of which are goals under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. This move also reflects a global shift in shipbuilding towards automation as shipyards contend with skilled labour constraints and environmental compliance.

Author: Helen Wu, 2025-2026 Articling Student-At-Law