Canadian Coast Guard News

Zelim announced that it is has established a site in Atlantic Canada, marking its commitment to strategic expansion in the North American maritime market. The site will be located at the COVE ocean facility in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, a major technology hub for maritime innovation.Starting in April 2026, the office premises will serve as a base for Zelim to advance ongoing partnerships and future opportunities in the region for its AI-enabled technologies, which are designed to enhance the safety and security of operations at sea.The move builds on Zelim’s foothold in the Canadian cruise…

Elomatic, an international consulting and engineering company with expanding operations in Canada, has established a strategic partnership with Indigenous Works (IW), a prominent national Indigenous not-for-profit organization with a mandate to support the employment and inclusion for Indigenous peoples, throughout Canada.Established in 1998, Indigenous Works has significant expertise in developing inclusive labor market solutions and employer workplace inclusion strategies for Canada’s major industrial sectors.

The quest to rebuild the U.S. iceabreaking fleet continues to move at lightening speed, with Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) signing agreements with Bollinger Shipyards (Bollinger) and Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (Rauma) to provide its Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design and associated supply chain packages to enable rapid construction and delivery of up to six vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program.Rauma will build up to two vessels in Finland with delivery expected in 2028 under the contracts formally announced by the U.S. Coast Guard last week.

Severe weather has caused additional damage to the MSC Baltic III grounded in Cedar Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The hull suffered significant new damage, including increased plate buckling on both the starboard and port sides, and the stern is now noticeably lower in the water. Small salvage equipment onboard was also found damaged.Teams continue on-water and shoreline surveys in Cedar Cove and surrounding beaches as weather permits, reports the Canadian Coast Guard. Following the storm, there’s been an expected increase in oiled debris.

Seaspan Shipyards has officially delivered the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).The OOSV is the fourth large vessel, and second class of ship, to be built and delivered by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is named after a well-respected elder from Nunavik who was a renowned promoter of Inuit language and culture.The ship will replace CCGS Hudson, which was decommissioned…

Swedish maritime battery systems specialist Echandia has secured an order from ABB to supply a 3.7 MWh battery system for a new hybrid icebreaker vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard to be built at Helsinki Shipyard.The contract marks Echandia’s first entry into the Canadian market and strengthens the company’s global footprint in sustainable maritime propulsion.The icebreaker will operate as a hybrid ship, combining conventional propulsion with advanced battery technology to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency in demanding Arctic conditions.The order was awarded by ABB…

At a ceremony at Halifax Shipyard, the Canadian Coast Guard and Irving Shipbuilding have marked the official keel laying of the eighth and final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) – the future CCGS Sermilik.Today’s ceremony included the tradition of welding a coin to the hull of the ship to bring luck to the captain and crew during the life of the ship.The future CCGS Sermilik is named after the Sermilik Glacier, located in Sirmilik National Park in Nunavut.Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS)…

ABB has secured a contract with Helsinki Shipyard to supply a complete electric power and propulsion solution for the Polar Max icebreaker, which is expected to be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard by 2030.Polar Max will be constructed through an industrial collaboration between Canadian-controlled facilities in Helsinki, Finland and Lévis, Canada. The 22,800-ton, 138.5-meter vessel is the first shipbuilding project at Helsinki Shipyard under the ownership of Davie, the Quebec-based international shipbuilder.

Seaspan Shipyards has entered into a contract with Ideal Welders for the fabrication of 30 blocks of the new heavy Polar Icebreaker that Seaspan is building for the Canadian Coast Guard.Seaspan and Ideal Welders have had a long-standing, successful partnership — Ideal Welders has constructed many components of the ships Seaspan has built, including the bulbous bows of both Joint Support Ships, HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver.Seaspan cut steel on the new Polar Icebreaker in April 2025.

Seaspan Shipyards has awarded a contract to Elomatic Consulting, an international consulting and engineering company, to provide engineering and design support services for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Polar Icebreaker build contract.As one of the primary partners throughout the functional and production design phases of the Polar project, the award further strengthens Elomatic’s ongoing partnership with Seaspan.Under the contract, Elomatic will provide build design support, ensuring…

Seaspan Shipyards has signed a contract with Newfoundland-based Genoa Design International to provide technical design services for the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker.Under the deal, Genoa will expand its workforce to more than 100 naval architecture and marine systems designers as it supports the vessel’s design and build phases at Vancouver Shipyards, as part of the agreement that extends a long-standing partnership between the two Canadian firms.The new heavy polar icebreaker will be the first of its kind built in Canada in over 60 years.

Le Groupe ALMACO, the Canadian subsidiary of Finland-based ALMACO Group, won a CAD 100 million+ contract by Chantier Davie Canada Inc. to deliver the outfitting of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Polar Max icebreaker. The project, part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), is a landmark program that will shape the future of Canada’s Arctic operations and strengthen Québec’s role as a global shipbuilding hub.Polar Max will be built through an international collaboration between Davie’s Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and its facilities in Lévis, Québec.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has accepted the sixth and final Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Robert Hampton Gray.The AOPVs are ice-capable patrol ships designed to enhance the Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in the Arctic, and to assert and uphold Canadian sovereignty. These versatile ships can operate anywhere in the world, bolstering the RCN’s capability to support international peace and security. In addition to performing operational missions and tasks…

Davie shipyard has officially begun construction of the Polar Max icebreaker, a vessel that, once delivered by 2030, is expected to redefine Canada’s Arctic capabilities.The Polar Max is a production-ready heavy icebreaker designed to operate in some of the world’s harshest conditions. The vessel will support Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, critical scientific missions, environmental protection efforts, and maritime security.Uniquely, Polar Max will be constructed through an innovative industrial collaboration between Canadian-controlled facilities in Helsinki, Finland and Lévis, Canada.

The owner of Canadian firm Davie Shipbuilding said on Wednesday that the key to winning a contract to build icebreakers for the United States is to develop local shipbuilding capacity there.Davie said in June it was acquiring Texas shipyards in Galveston and Port Arthur, and on Wednesday Alex Vicefield, CEO of Davie's holding company British Inocea Group, said for the first time that the shipbuilder is bidding for the contract from the U.S. administration."It's under discussion how they (the U.S.) would want to do it, but certainly, the key to it is you have to develop U.S.

In a major move to accelerate the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet expansion, Bollinger Shipyards, Rauma Shipyards, Seaspan Shipyards, and Aker Arctic announced a partnership to deliver next-generation Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) under the Coast Guard’s multibillion-dollar icebreaker program.The collaboration combines U.S., Canadian, and Finnish shipbuilding expertise to meet the Coast Guard’s urgent Arctic mission requirements. Backed by nearly $9 billion in funding secured under President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”…

Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Stigterstaal Canada and Algoma Steel Inc. to explore a strategic partnership aimed at reestablishing a domestic steel supply chain focused on bolstering and expanding shipbuilding in Canada.The memorandum provides a framework for the three companies to assess the feasibility of Algoma Steel supplying Class and non-Class steel to Seaspan through Stigterstaal, who will act as a commercial and logistical subcontractor.

Terma A/S, a leader in surveillance radar technology, has partnered with Sperry Marine, a manufacturer and service provider of marine navigation systems, to deliver the SCANTER 4603 and SCANTER 6002 series of naval surveillance radar to Seaspan Shipyards for the upcoming Canadian Coast Guard’s Multi-Purpose Icebreaker and Polar Icebreaker Programs.This milestone underscores the ongoing partnership between Sperry Marine and Terma A/S and the two companies’ commitment to empowering the Canadian Coast Guard with radar technology designed for precision situational awareness…

CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), began sea trials this week in North Vancouver, sailing from Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards where final outfitting, installation, and commissioning work has been taking place since the vessel’s launch in August 2024.CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is a Polar Class 6 vessel, with a displacement of 5,058t, and is 88 meters long, 17.6 meters wide, and will accommodate up to 60 personnel.Sea trials mark the final major phase of a shipbuilding project before delivery.

The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), under Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is taking a leading role in validating new digital hydrographic standards, with the Minister of Fisheries, Joanne Thompson, launching S-100 sea trials on the St. Lawrence River.The S-100 data model is a new global standard created by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which offers a new way of visualizing the marine environment using layered, interactive digital data that can be added to navigational charts.

Seaspan Shipyards has cut steel on the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new heavy polar icebreaker, marking the first time a heavy polar icebreaker has been built in Canada in more than 60 years.It will play a critical role in enabling the Canadian Coast Guard to transit and operate on more than 162,000 kilometers of Arctic coastline.The Polar Class 2 icebreaker will help sustain a 12-month presence in Canada’s North in support of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, high-Arctic science (including climate change research)…

Canadian shipbuilder Davie has been awarded a contract by the Government of Canada for the construction of a polar icebreaker.Work will begin this year on the agreement valued at $3.25 billion. Davie will deliver its production-ready heavy icebreaker design called the Polar Max to Canada by 2030.To support the rapid delivery of the ship, Davie will capitalize on the expertise of Helsinki Shipyard, which was acquired by Davie in 2023 with the support of the Québec government. Helsinki…

A new era in Canadian shipbuilding is underway as Seaspan Shipyards has been awarded the contract to build one of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) next-generation heavy polar icebreakers. This landmark project, part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), will reinforce Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, economic development, and scientific research capabilities while marking a historic revival of domestic polar shipbuilding.“Today’s contract signing is the next step in our journey of fulfilling the vision of the National Shipbuilding Strategy…