(NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — Seaspan Shipyards has been awarded the construction contract to build one of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new heavy polar icebreakers.
The polar icebreaker will be built entirely in Canada at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards, located in North Vancouver, British Columbia. With the contract now in place, Seaspan is ready to cut steel on this ship and begin full-rate construction on Canada’s newest vessel under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).
Construction of this ship will support the work of a team of more than 1,000 local shipbuilders and a broad Canadian supply chain of over 800 Canadian companies contributing massive strategic value, innovation and economic benefits to Canada.
Building this complex and densely outfitted multi-mission ship will mark the first time a polar icebreaker has been built in Canada in more than 60 years and will have more advanced capabilities than the CCG’s current heavy icebreakers. Once delivered, the vessel will be one of the most advanced and capable icebreakers in the world. It will be one of only a handful of Polar Class 2 ships in operation and will allow for the CCG to operate self-sufficiently year-round in the high Arctic down to temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.
The new polar icebreaker will be the seventh vessel designed and built by Seaspan under the NSS. It will also be the fifth Polar-class vessel to be built for the CCG, and one of up to 21 icebreaking vessels overall that Seaspan is constructing.
Functional design of the polar icebreaker was completed in 2024 by Seaspan, prior to the start of construction. For this ship, Seaspan worked extensively to build out the largest marine design and engineering team in Canada, which includes Seaspan employees and Canadian partners, while simultaneously working alongside established Finnish companies who have extensive experience in designing Arctic-going vessels.
Official start of construction for the icebreaker is scheduled for April.
Specifications
• The polar icebreaker will be 518 feet long and 92 feet wide, with a design displacement of 26,036 tonnes.
• IACS Polar Class 2 (PC2)
• More than 40 megawatts of installed power
• Ice-classed azimuthing propulsion system
• Complex, multi-role mission capability
• Scientific laboratories
• Moon pool (to allow for safe deployment of equipment from within the ship)
• Helicopter flight deck and hangar
• Vehicle garage and future remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) capability
Seaspan has already gained significant experience designing and building Polar-class vessels including three offshore fisheries science vessels which are now in service with the CCG; an offshore oceanographic science vessel that will be delivered to the CCG in the coming months; and a class of up 16 multi-purpose icebreaking vessels (also Polar class) that is currently in construction engineering.
– Seaspan
