National Shipbuilding Strategy and the Canadian Coast Guard

The National Shipbuilding Strategy is helping restore Canada’s shipyards, rebuild the marine industry, and create sustainable jobs while helping to protect Canada’s sovereignty.

The National Shipbuilding Strategy allows the Government of Canada and shipyards to make significant investments in Canada’s marine industry, such as developing and maintaining expertise and creating sustainable employment across the country. It brings predictability to federal vessel procurement and aims to eliminate the boom-and-bust cycles of vessel procurement that slowed down Canadian shipbuilding in the past.

Milestones

The National Shipbuilding Strategy is a long-term investment that is delivering results now: ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Navy, and Transport Canada, and jobs and economic growth for Canadians. Contracts under the Strategy are estimated to have contributed approximately $30 billion ($2.3 billion annually) to Canada’s gross domestic product, and have created or maintained more than 20,400 jobs annually to the Canadian economy between 2012 and 2024.

The following timeline highlights successes and milestones for the Canadian Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Debut

After consultations with the Canadian shipbuilding industry, the Government of Canada announced the National Shipbuilding Strategy^{Footnote 1} in June 2010.

In 2011, the non-combat vessels work package for the Canadian Coast Guard was awarded to Vancouver Shipyards in British Columbia, and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. of Halifax, Nova Scotia, following a competitive process to build the large vessels. In April 2023, Chantier Davie of Lévis, Quebec, was announced as the third strategic partner under the Strategy^{Footnote 2}. The construction of smaller vessels is open to other Canadian shipyards through competitive procurement processes. Future ship repair, refit, and maintenance work was made available for competition through publicly announced requests for proposals.

Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels

In December 2017, the first of three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV), the CCGS Sir John Franklin, was launched by Vancouver Shipyards. It marked the first large vessel in Canada to be designed and built under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. More than 1,100 workers helped build the CCGS Sir John Franklin, with more than 15 trades being used during construction.

The CCGS Sir John Franklin was delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard in June 2019. The other two OFSVs – the CCGS Jacques Cartier and CCGS John Cabot – were delivered in November 2019 and October 2020, respectively.

The new research science vessels, operated by the Canadian Coast Guard, are used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists to collect data across Canada’s vast marine ecosystems. The vessels are able to fish in deeper waters than the existing science vessels, operate in the southern Arctic during the summer season, and provide modern marine laboratories to scientists.

Fleet renewal and vessel life extensions

In May 2019, the Government of Canada announced it would be investing $15.7 billion to renew the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet^{Footnote 3}, with up to 16 Multi-Purpose Icebreakers to be built at Vancouver Shipyards and two new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships^{Footnote 4} to be built at Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

An investment of $2 billion was also announced for repairs, refits, and vessel life extension work on the existing fleet until new ships are delivered.

Program Icebreakers

In August 2019, the Government of Canada announced the planned procurement of up to six new Program Icebreakers^{Footnote 5}to replace the Canadian Coast Guard’s current fleet of icebreakers.

The Program Icebreakers will be essential to Canada’s economy and will support year-round maritime trade in eastern Canada, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Great Lakes. They will also be used to provide service to Canada’s Northern residents by supporting the annual re-supply of goods to Arctic communities and their industries.

Initial work on these vessels is underway at Chantier Davie, following the award of an Ancillary Contract in March 2024.

Polar Icebreakers

In May 2021, the Government of Canada announced plans to build two Polar Icebreakers^{Footnote 6} under the National Shipbuilding Strategy: one to be built at Vancouver Shipyards and the other at Chantier Davie in Quebec. Work on a prototype block for the first Polar Icebreaker was successfully completed in February 2024.

Construction engineering and material procurement work on the Polar Icebreaker in Vancouver is underway, in preparation for the planned start of construction in 2025. In July 2024, a Request for Proposals was released to enter into an initial contract on the second Polar Icebreaker at Chantier Davie.

In August 2024, the Government of Canada announced the names of the two Polar Icebreakers^{Footnote 7}, chosen in collaboration with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: the CCGS Arpatuuq and CCGS Imnaryuaq. Once built, the Polar Icebreakers will be the largest vessels in the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet of the future. The CCGS Arpatuuq and CCGS Imnaryuaq will enable the Canadian Coast Guard to operate in the Canadian Arctic year-round to support Indigenous Peoples and Northern communities, Arctic sovereignty, high Arctic science, and emergency response.

The construction of the two Polar Icebreakers is projected to support approximately 300 jobs at both Vancouver Shipyards and Chantier Davie, and 2,500 jobs across the marine supply chain. The first Polar Icebreaker is expected to be delivered in 2030, following the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent’s upcoming retirement from service.

Small vessels fleet renewal

In May 2023, the Government of Canada announced $2.5 billion in funding for the renewal of the Canadian Coast Guard’s small vessels fleet^{Footnote 8}. The investment will fund the acquisition of up to 61 small vessels, including six Mid-shore Multi-Mission Vessels, one Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessel, 16 specialty vessels, four Air Cushion Vehicles, and 34 Search and Rescue Lifeboats.

These small vessels will play an important role in the safety of mariners in Canadian waters and will support essential Canadian Coast Guard services and operations, such as science research, aids to navigation, environmental response, and search and rescue.

Procurement is underway for the construction of a new diesel-electric hybrid Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessel with battery energy storage system^{Footnote 9} — the first vessel to be procured under this investment — following the build contract award to Chantier Naval Forillon in October 2023.

Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel

In November 2023, the Canadian Coast Guard celebrated the ship consolidation of the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel^{Footnote 10}, marking a major step towards its completion.

The Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel is a floating laboratory. As the Canadian Coast Guard’s largest dedicated science vessel, the new ship will provide increased capability and capacity to support Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s marine science missions on Canada’s east coast. This work will improve Canada’s understanding of the Atlantic Ocean, which is home to some of the most productive marine environments in the world.

In August 2024, the Government of Canada announced the name and launch of the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel^{Footnote 11}, chosen in collaboration with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: the CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk. The vessel was built at Vancouver Shipyards and is expected to be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard in 2025.

Multi-Purpose Icebreakers

In March 2024, the Government of Canada announced that a construction engineering services contract and a goods contract^{Footnote 12} had been awarded to Vancouver Shipyards for the design and procurement of material for the first six Multi-Purpose Icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard.

The Multi-Purpose Icebreakers will allow the Canadian Coast Guard to carry out multiple missions, including icebreaking in moderate ice conditions and assisting in shipping and spring time flood control in the St. Lawrence waterway and Great Lakes region; maintaining aids to navigation; as well as search and rescue, emergency response, and security and protection missions.

Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships

In August 2023, the Canadian Coast Guard announced the official start of construction for the first of two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships^{Footnote 13}, marked by a steel cutting ceremony at Irving Shipbuilding Inc. In July 2024, the Canadian Coast Guard announced the names of its two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships:^{Footnote 14} the CCGS Donjek and CCGS Sermilik. Additionally, the CCGS Donjek had its keel laying ceremony and the CCGS Sermilik had had a ceremony to signify the start of its construction at the same time.

The ice-capable Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships will serve a variety of purposes, including supporting a range of critical missions, such as icebreaking and conducting North Atlantic Fisheries Organization^{Footnote 15} patrols; operating as the primary conservation and protection enforcement vessels on Canada’s east coast, replacing existing Canadian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessels; and expanding its patrol capability into the low Arctic.

The CCGS Donjek is expected to be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard in late 2026, followed by the CCGS Sermilik in 2027.

More information

To learn more about the National Shipbuilding Strategy, visit Public Services and Procurement Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy website.

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2025-12-04