Seaspan cut steel on the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker, signifying the start of construction on one of the most advanced conventional polar icebreakers ever to be built. (Seaspan photo)
By Newell Durnbrooke
Seaspan has confirmed it has had discussions about building icebreakers in the U.S.
At play is the proposed acquisition of up to 40 new icebreakers, recently announced by U.S. president Donald Trump.
“The discussions we’ve been having with the U.S. is around whether they could take our design and use it to build their icebreakers domestically in their own shipyards,” David Hargreaves, senior vice president of business development at Seaspan, told the U.S. publication, Defense News.
“That concept seems to be getting a fair level of traction both in Washington at a political level,” he added. “We had last week a visit of a U.S. congressman, and we’ve been having various conversations with U.S. yards who are in a position to build these types of vessels.”
Under U.S. law most Coast Guard vessels and their major components must be constructed in American shipyards to support national industries and enhance national security, Defense News pointed out. However, exceptions may be authorized by the president.
Meanwhile, Seaspan Shipyards announced in early April that it had cut steel on the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker. This marks the first time a heavy polar icebreaker has been built in Canada in more than 60 years, Seaspan pointed out it in its announcement.
Measuring 158 metres long and 28 metres wide, Seaspan’s polar icebreaker will be designed to operate self-sufficiently in the high-Arctic year-round. It is expected to play a critical role in enabling the Canadian Coast Guard to transit and operate on more than 162,000 km of Arctic coastline.
The capabilities of this 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), Indigenous Peoples and other northern communities, and the ability to respond to major maritime emergencies including search and rescue. It will be able to accommodate up to 100 personnel, and, as one of the only Polar Class 2 vessels in the world, will be able to operate farther north, in more difficult ice conditions and for longer periods than any icebreaker in Canada to date, Seaspan has pointed out.
This built-in-Canada ship will be the seventh vessel designed and built by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. It will also be one of up to 21 icebreaking vessels overall that Seaspan is constructing.
In January 2024, Seaspan completed the construction of the polar Prototype Block. That was to ensure preparedness to build the new icebreaker, which requires steel that is twice as thick in some areas, while also being less malleable, as the steel Seaspan has used for the other ships built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
As the only shipyard currently building polar icebreakers in Canada, Seaspan officials noted that they look forward to supporting the Canadian Coast Guard by building this large, multi-mission vessel, and through the design and construction of any vessels Canada and its ICE Pact partners.
“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,” John McCarthy, CEO, Seaspan Shipyards noted in a statement. “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.”
The new Polar Icebreaker will be 158 metres long and 28 metres wide, with a design displacement of 26,036t.
Highlights of key design features on the ship, include:
- IACS Polar Class 2 (PC2) Heavy Icebreaker
- More than 40MW 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 says it has already gained significant experience designing and building Polar Class vessels including three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels which are now in service with the Canadian Coast Guard; an Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel that will be delivered to the CCG in the coming months; and up to sixteen Multi- Purpose Icebreakers (also Polar Class) that is currently in Construction Engineering.
In May 2021, Canada announced the procurement of two new polar icebreakers under the NSS. On May 15, 2021, the umbrella agreement with Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards was amended to add one of those polar icebreakers to its work package.
Navantia, which has been promoting its S-80 submarines to Canada, announced another milestone for its program. (Navantia photo)
And in news on Canada’s proposed submarine purchase…Navantia, which has been promoting its S-80 submarines to Canada, announced another milestone for its program.
The S-82 ‘Narciso Monturiol’ submarine, second of the series of four that Navantia is building for the Spanish Navy, successfully accomplished its first safety milestone: the “power up” of the equipment, the firm announced.
The “power up” consists of the start-up of the main and emergency electrical distribution networks. The “power up” is the first safety milestone planned within the Safety Milestones Management Plan of the S-80 Program, which aims to establish a framework that demonstrates that the construction and testing process of the S-80 Program submarines is carried out in a way that ensures the lowest possible risk level, according to Navantia.
In addition, the first Harbour Acceptance Tests of the S-82 ‘Narciso Monturiol’ submarine have been carried out.
Navantia says these milestones show the satisfactory advance of the S-80 program, with the first submarine already in service for the Spanish Navy, and the second one accomplishing these tests prior to its launching, scheduled for next summer.
Navantia points out that the S-80s are the most advanced conventional (non-nuclear) submarines in the world, something that has attracted interest from Canada and Poland. The submarines will also feature air-independent propulsion system, allowing for Arctic operations.
The boats, with an overall length of 81 metres, carry a crew of 32 as well as room for eight special forces personnel. The submarine has an endurance of at least 50 days. It can carry heavy weight torpedoes, MK48 torpedoes, sub-Harpoon missiles and can be fitted for Tomahawk missiles.
Navantia’s shipyard in Cartagena finished in late November 2024 installing the first hydrogen-based air-independent propulsion into the submarine.
Canada is now in the midst of examining information about new submarines, Defence Minister Bill Blair’s office announced Sept. 16, 2024.
The new subs will have to be capable of operating undetected for a range of 7,000 nautical miles, as well as a minimum of 21 days of continuous dived operations.
The briefings to industry stipulated that the subs be able to deploy and recover drones as well as smaller crewed underwater systems. But the first submarine won’t actually be operating with the Royal Canadian Navy until 2037.
