B.C. shipyard awarded $3.15 billion government contract to build icebreaker

A worker uses an angle grinder on a vessel under construction at Seaspan Shipyards, in North Vancouver, B.C., on October 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia company has been given a $3.15 billion contract to build one of two icebreaker ships for the Canadian Coast Guard.

Public Services and Procurement Canada says in a statement that Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards, located in North Vancouver, B.C., will be building one of the future polar icebreakers as part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

The federal government says the larger and more powerful ships will ensure coast guard operations continue at higher latitudes for longer periods, while allowing its fleet to better support Indigenous people, strengthen Arctic security, advance science, and better respond to maritime emergencies.

Seaspan Shipyards CEO John McCarthy says in the statement that construction of the ship begins next month

The other polar icebreaker is being built by Quebec-based Chantier Davie Canada Inc.

Minister of Procurement Jean-Yves Duclos says in the statement that the B.C. announcement marks a “significant milestone” in enhancing Canada’s maritime capabilities, and that the state-of-the-art vessel will support critical scientific research and environmental protection efforts and ensure national security in the Arctic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.