Seaspan Shipyards has formalized a new contract with Genoa Design International to provide technical design services on the heavy polar icebreaker that will be a key part of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet. The agreement reinforces a long-term collaboration and marks a significant step in the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
At 158 meters in length and 28 meters in beam, this Polar Class 2 icebreaker is designed to operate autonomously in the most extreme conditions of the High Arctic . Genoa will provide technical leadership, digital design expertise and ongoing support during the construction phase, which is already underway at the Vancouver Shipyard.
Increasing technical capacity in eastern Canada
The Newfoundland-based firm will expand its local team to more than 100 specialists in naval architecture and marine systems specialists to service this contract. Genoa has previously worked on designs for Arctic vessels and has direct experience in similar programs for the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard.
The icebreaker will operate 12 months of the year, allowing the Canadian Coast Guard to patrol more than 162,000 km of coastline in the north of the country. This vessel will support scientific research The ship will support scientific research, sovereign presence in the Arctic, work with indigenous communities and maritime emergency response.
Polar icebreaker joins expanding fleet
This icebreaker will be the first vessel of its kind built in Canada in more than six decades and the seventh built by Seaspan under the framework of the national naval strategy. With a 100-person capacity, it will become the most robust in Canada’s Arctic fleet and will position the country as a benchmark in polar ship design and construction.
Kate Morton, Seaspan’s vice president of supply chain, emphasized that this vessel represents a national capability for generations and underscored Genoa’s role as a key partner in the design of the nation’s flagship icebreaker.
Source and photo: Seaspan
