Canada’s Heavy Polar Icebreaker Program Advances as Seaspan and Genoa Expand Partnership

Seaspan Shipyards has signed a contract with Newfoundland-based Genoa Design International to provide ongoing technical design services for the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker, marking a significant advancement in Canada’s shipbuilding strategy.

Under the agreement, Genoa will supply design guidance while expanding their local workforce to more than 100 naval architecture and marine systems designers. The company will continue supporting the vessel through its build phase, which is already underway at Vancouver Shipyards.

At 158 meters long and 28 meters wide, the Polar Class 2 icebreaker represents Canada’s first domestically-built heavy icebreaker in over 60 years. The vessel is designed to operate self-sufficiently year-round in the high Arctic, enabling the Canadian Coast Guard to navigate more than 162,000 km of Arctic coastline.

The icebreaker will support Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, high-Arctic scientific research including climate change studies, Indigenous communities, and emergency response operations. With capacity for up to 100 personnel, it will operate farther north, in more challenging ice conditions, and for longer periods than any existing Canadian icebreaker.

“Genoa’s signing of the Polar Icebreaker Build Contract with Vancouver Shipyards is the latest milestone in an enduring partnership that began and continues under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy,” said Gina Pecore, CEO of Genoa Design International. “Together, we are strengthening our nation’s ability to support national fleet requirements, from ship construction to vessel lifecycle support.”

Laurie Balan, COO of Genoa Design International, noted: “This agreement not only solidifies our role in the Canadian Polar Icebreaker program but also underscores Vancouver Shipyards’ confidence in our ability to provide reliable expertise to support another modern and complex ship construction.”

This vessel will be the seventh ship designed and built by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and the fifth Polar Class vessel to be built for the Canadian Coast Guard. It is one of up to 21 icebreaking vessels that Seaspan is constructing overall.

The partnership highlights the growing importance of Arctic-capable vessels as regional maritime activity increases. Several countries including Russia, China, and Finland have recently expanded their icebreaking capabilities through new construction or design programs.

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