After years of construction, the Royal Canadian Navy celebrated the completion of the second phase of the $1.1 billion A/B Jetty Recapitalization Project, the fully functional B-Jetty that replaced the former, decades-old wooden wharf at CFB Esquimalt.
The newest jetty is larger, more modern, more robust and able to accommodate new ships that will come to the RCN due to the national shipbuilding strategy, including the newly launched HMCS Protecteur, the longest naval vessel constructed in Canada.
"It will eventually have a large crane on it. Every truck that we need that brings food or supplies down to the ship, can be brought down on this. We've got the space to lay equipment down to do testing of the complex systems that are going to be on our new ships and everything else," said navy commander Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, adding that the jetty will now offer normal infrastructure that would be at a "complex harbour" like CFB Esquimalt.
Paul Schauerte, acting director general of infrastructure and environment for the Department of National Defence said that he had been part of the project in multiple capacities for about a decade and it was "truly a momentous occasion to be here and celebrate such a team effort."
He explained that the B-Jetty was built during the Second World War and demolished in 2017 to make way for the improved jetty. The structure was built with over 20,000 square metres of concrete, 9.5 kilometres of steel pipes, and five tonnes of rebar. It created 1,300 jobs according to Schauerte.
"The B-Jetty stands as a beacon of innovation, resilience, progress and collaboration. This jetty is not just a physical structure, but it's a symbol of our shared vision and determination and will meet the needs of the Royal Canadian Navy for decades to come," said Schauerte
"It is not defence spending, it's defence investment. Investment for making sure that you, the Canadian Armed Forces, have the tools you need," said Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan. "It also creates good quality jobs. For every dollar you spend on investment, sometimes it's two to three dollars that's spent in our economy."
As part of Canada's National Ship Building Strategy launched in 2010, CFB Esquimalt will receive new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels, new submarines, and new river-class destroyer ships, all aimed to be completed over the next 15 years.
Work has now been shifted to the A-Jetty expansion project, which is the final phase of the recapitalization project and is expected to be completed in 2031.
