Canadian Coast Guard to procure six new icebreakers

Current Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers: CCGS Henry Larsen (medium icebreaker, top photo), CCGS Terry Fox (heavy icebreaker, bottom photo)

The Canadian Coast Guard is to procure six new program icebreakers to replace the heavy and medium icebreakers that operate in Atlantic Canada and the St. Lawrence waterways during the winter and in the Arctic during the summer.

The program icebreakers are also used to provide service to Canada’s northern residents by supporting the annual re-supply of goods to Canada’s Arctic communities and their industries.

Government of Canada is officially launching a competitive process, through an Invitation to Qualify, to add a third Canadian shipyard as a strategic partner under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This new shipyard will build the new program icebreakers for the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard program icebreakers are essential to Canada’s economy by supporting year-round marine trade in Eastern Canada, the St. Lawrence waterway and the Great Lakes. They enable eastern Canadian ferries to operate during the winter time, and are critical to Canada’s commercial fisheries.