Quebec-based Chantier Davie has received an $8.1-billion contract to build six new Polar Class 3 icebreaker vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Quebec-based Chantier Davie has received an 11.3-billion Canadian dollar ($8.1-billion) contract to build six new Polar Class 3 icebreaker vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard.
The new ships will replace the force’s aging heavy and medium fleet dedicated to winter missions in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence waterways, and the Great Lakes, as well as in the Arctic during summer.
Polar Class 3 platforms are classified as those that operate in theaters with second-year ice conditions with multi-year deployment availability.
Chantier Davie is scheduled to cut the steel of the first Polar Class 3 vessel at its Lévis shipyard next year, with the platform to be delivered in 2032.
The entire fleet is planned to be commissioned by 2038, expected to generate nearly 5,000 jobs during construction, and contribute approximately 650 million Canadian dollars ($469 million) annually to the North American country’s economy.
Under the government's Buy Canadian policy, the company will assemble the ships using locally sourced steel and components.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the deal, calling it the largest shipbuilding deal in the history of Quebec.
“Canada is now the best-connected economy in the world. Canada is building such unparalleled market access because we are trusted, reliable, and have what the world wants,” Carney stated.
“These six state-of-the-art icebreakers will keep the trade routes that carry Canadian goods to the world accessible and secure. Built in Lévis by Canadian workers, they are a lasting investment in a stronger, more self-reliant Canada.”
Supporting Up to 88 Vessels
The contract falls under Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy, which aims to produce 88 new vessels for the nation’s maritime forces by 2045.
Part of that initiative is a 2024 initial design agreement of 19.6 million Canadian dollars ($14.1 million) awarded to Davie for the Polar Class 3 vessels.
The firm received a separate 3.25 billion Canadian dollars ($2.3 billion) under the effort in 2025 to construct the larger Polar Class 2 heavy icebreaker CCGS Arpatuuq.
The strategy also aligns with the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact signed with the US and Finland, expanding broader security in the Arctic region.
