Shipbuilder Chantier Davie has been awarded a C$11.3bn (£6bn) contract to build six new Polar Class 3 icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard.
The new vessels, which will be built at the Quebec-based firm’s shipyard in Lévis, will replace the CCG’s heavy and medium icebreakers operating in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence waterways and the Great Lakes during the winter, and in the Arctic during the summer.
Construction of the first vessel will begin in 2027, with all six vessels scheduled for delivery across the 2030s. The contract awarded by the Government of Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) represents the largest shipbuilding contract in Québec’s history.
The firm dubbed the deal “historic,” saying the agreement was “for the design and construction of the largest and most technologically advanced ice-going ships ever constructed in and for Canada.”
The announcement was made last week in a ceremony held at the Lévis shipyard attended by Christine Fréchette, Premier of Québec, and the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, as well as Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation and Quebec’s Maritime Strategy Minister Bernard Drainville.
As per a company press statement the renewal and expansion of Canada’s Arctic fleet “…will ensure that the CCG can continue delivering the critical services that Canadians rely on every day, including keeping vital trade and transportation routes open year-round, supporting northern and coastal communities, protecting Canada’s waters, and strengthening the country’s presence and sovereignty in the Arctic.”
It added: “For Davie, this contract opens a new chapter. It provides long-term certainty for our shipyard and creates opportunities for our teams to continue delivering ambitious, world-class projects.”
And CCG Commissioner Kevin Brosseau said the new ships “…will be game-changing assets across our Southern and Arctic waterways, equipping our crews with the capability they need to carry out critical operations year round.
“These vessels will strengthen our support to coastal and northern communities, expand our capacity for science missions, and reinforce Canada’s presence and maritime security in an Arctic region that is becoming more active and important every year.”
- You can read more details on the Davie website
