Seaspan Shipyards initiated construction by cutting steel for the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker, marking the first such vessel built in Canada in over 60 years, according to the company's release.
The icebreaker, measuring 158 metres in length and 28 metres in width with a design displacement of 26,036 tonnes, is designed to operate self-sufficiently in the high-Arctic year-round.
It will support the Canadian Coast Guard’s operations across 162,000 km of Arctic coastline, facilitating a 12-month presence in Canada’s North for Arctic sovereignty, high-Arctic science including climate change research, support for Indigenous Peoples and northern communities, and maritime emergency responses such as search and rescue.
The vessel, a Polar Class 2 icebreaker, can accommodate up to 100 personnel and is equipped to operate in challenging ice conditions for extended periods.
This project represents the seventh vessel designed and built by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the fifth Polar Class vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard, with Seaspan contracted to construct up to 21 icebreaking vessels in total.
In January 2024, Seaspan completed a polar Prototype Block to prepare for building this vessel, which uses steel twice as thick in some areas and less malleable than that used in other National Shipbuilding Strategy ships.
Seaspan remains the only Canadian shipyard currently constructing polar icebreakers. John McCarthy, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards, stated, “Today’s milestone caps off an incredibly busy 10-month period for Seaspan, involving two first-of-class ship launches and the start of construction on this new world-class polar icebreaker. The National Shipbuilding Strategy is showing that a made-in-Canada approach is not only possible, it is imperative to Canada’s security and sovereignty. We must continue to design and build ships here at home, to ensure that the experience, skills, and knowledge built through the NSS will be sustained. Seaspan looks forward to delivering this new polar icebreaker to the Canadian Coast Guard, and to building more Polar Class vessels for Canada and its allies.”
The icebreaker features include an IACS Polar Class 2 rating, over 40MW of installed power, an ice-classed azimuthing propulsion system, scientific laboratories, a moon pool, a helicopter flight deck and hangar, a vehicle garage, and future remotely piloted aircraft system capability.
Seaspan’s prior experience includes three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels in service with the Canadian Coast Guard, an Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel nearing delivery, and up to sixteen Multi-Purpose Icebreakers in construction engineering.
An economic analysis by Deloitte indicates Seaspan has contributed $5.7 billion to Canada’s GDP since 2012, sustaining over 7,000 jobs annually, supported by a supply chain of approximately 800 Canadian companies.
Seaspan Shipyards, a division of Seaspan ULC, is a Canadian shipbuilding and repair company based in North Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Established as part of the broader Seaspan organization, which traces its roots to the 1970s under the Washington Marine Group, it has grown into a key player in Canada’s maritime industry. With a workforce of about 4,300, Seaspan specializes in designing, engineering, and constructing complex vessels, primarily under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, for government and private clients.
The Canadian Coast Guard, founded in 1962, is a federal agency under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. It operates a fleet of vessels and aircraft to ensure maritime safety, environmental protection, and support for Canada’s sovereignty, particularly in the Arctic. With over 162,000 km of coastline to manage, the CCG has been modernizing its fleet, including icebreakers, through partnerships like the National Shipbuilding Strategy.