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Construction begins on Canadian Coast Guard Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship featuring a helipad

Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, was joined by the Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, to celebrate the steel cutting milestone on the first of the two future Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships for the Canadian Coast Guard. The event marked the official start of construction of the vessel undertaken by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) explains the new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships will operate as a primary platform to support fisheries enforcement missions on Canada’s east coast, including Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization patrols. They will also support search and rescue and icebreaking operations on the east coast, strengthening Canada’s presence in the low Arctic.

Canadian Coast Guard and Bell Textron Canada staff pose in front of the 16th Bell 429 helicopter delivered to the Coast Guard on September 15, 2021. (Photo: CNW Group/Canadian Coast Guard)

In addition to their primary missions, CCG explains the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships will be able to support environmental response and aids to navigation, allowing greater flexibility and adaptability. Outfitted with science equipment and a medical facility onboard, CCG notes these and versatile ships will be able to conduct scientific research and support humanitarian assistance missions.

“With their versatility and endurance, these vessels will serve Canada as an important platform for patrol, icebreaking operations, and science research, while being able to carry out a variety of other vital missions,” said Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard.

The two ships are built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy’s large vessels construction pillar. Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada continues to make significant investments in modernizing the Canadian Coast Guard fleet while creating skilled jobs in Canada’s shipbuilding and marine industries.

The Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships project will contribute to more than $125 million annually to Canada’s GDP, and create or maintain close to 1,250 jobs annually in the Canadian shipbuilding industry over the 2022 to 2030 period.

The first Canadian Coast Guard Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship is expected to be delivered in 2026. By 2027, the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet is expected to include two new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships.

The Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships will replace two of the Canadian Coast Guard’s existing five Offshore Patrol Vessels. The vessels are 103 metres long, 19 metres beam, with approximately 6,677 metric tons displacement. To date, three large vessels and 16 small vessels have been delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This includes three Offshore Fishery Science Vessels, 14 Search and Rescue lifeboats and two Channel Survey and Sounding Vessels.