Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has begun the next phase of the design and engineering stage for the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) Multi‑Purpose Icebreakers (MPI) program in North Vancouver, BC, according to the company's release.
The Functional Design Review Meeting for the first flight of six MPIs was successfully completed on June 19.
The company is now proceeding to production drawings in preparation for future construction.
Functional design for these vessels is being carried out in‑house at Seaspan. The design work on the MPI program is reported to be on schedule and under budget.
The MPIs are Polar Class 4 icebreakers capable of continuous heavy‑ice operations and intended to perform multiple missions including maritime search and rescue, environmental response, and maintenance of Canada’s network of approximately 17,000 navigation aids.
The first flight is expected to replace the existing High Endurance Multi‑Tasked Vessels and Medium Endurance Multi‑Tasked Vessels.
These vessels will have a displacement of over 8,500 tonnes, be 99.9 metres long and 20.3 metres wide, and accommodate up to 50 personnel.
They will be able to break 1 metre of ice continuously.
Their operational area includes Canada’s eastern and western coastlines within the Exclusive Economic Zone, year‑round operation in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, and seasonal summer missions in the western and lower Arctic.
With the detailed 3D model complete, the MPI design is described as a mature, adaptable platform customizable to the needs of the U.S. Coast Guard or other international governments.
Seaspan Shipyards is a Canadian corporate entity organized under British Columbia law, operating as a ship design, engineering, construction and repair company. It maintains modern facilities and employs approximately 4,300 staff in North Vancouver and Victoria. Seaspan acts as a strategic industrial partner to government and private clients on complex maritime infrastructure projects; through the National Shipbuilding Strategy it has contributed more than C$5.7 billion to Canada’s GDP since 2012.
Canadian Coast Guard is a federal agency of the Government of Canada, responsible for Canada’s maritime services including marine search and rescue, environmental response, icebreaking and maintenance of marine navigation infrastructure. It oversees acquisition programmes such as the Multi‑Purpose Icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.