A ground-breaking ceremony on the North Shore today to mark the start of Seaspan's 200-million dollar refurbishment of Vancouver Shipyards.

The upgrades are needed to fulfill an 8-billion dollar Federal contract to build ships for Canada's Navy and Coast Guard.

North Vancouver M-L-A and Cabinet Minister Naomi Yamamoto told a crowd of hundreds her government believes in the future of BC's shipbuilding industry.

So does that mean no B-C Ferries will be built in Germany?

She says, "this industry revised itself and is competitive which I'm pretty sure it can be, then we may see B-C Ferries being built in British Columbia.  MAY SEE THOUGH, NOT WILL SEE?  I can't answer that, that's a hypothetical question."

Reporters were told Premier Christy Clark would be at the ceremony but she did not attend.