Halifax – Renewing the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet ensures our personnel can continue carrying out critical work with modern and safe equipment, while creating good skilled jobs in our shipbuilding and marine industries across the country.
Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard was joined by 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, marking the official start of construction of the vessel undertaken by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Canadian Coast Guard’s 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. In addition to their primary missions, the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships will be able to support environmental response and aids to navigation, allowing greater flexibility and adaptability for the Canadian Coast Guard’s operations. Outfitted with science equipment and a medical facility onboard, these modern and versatile ships will be able to conduct scientific research and support humanitarian assistance missions.
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 good skilled jobs in our shipbuilding and marine industries across the country.
The Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships project will contribute to more than $125M annually to Canada’s GDP, and create or maintain close to 1,250 jobs annually in the Canadian shipbuilding industry over the 2022-2030 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.
“Our Coast Guard members are essential in keeping our waterways clean, safe and accessible. Today, as we celebrate the start of the construction of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, we are proud to invest in the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet of the future and provide state-of-the-art equipment to our personnel.” – Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard
“Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada is providing the Canadian Coast Guard with the ships needed to carry out work for Canadians, while creating skilled jobs in our shipbuilding and marine industries across the country. The start of construction on the Coast Guard’s first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship is a milestone worth celebrating. It will give Coast Guard members greater capability to deliver critical services on a wide range of missions.” – Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada
“Today’s announcement will improve critical project infrastructure to enhance and accelerate construction of the Canadian Surface Combatants. Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, our government is helping to restore our shipyards, rebuild our marine industry and create good Canadian jobs, including right here in Nova Scotia, while ensuring our sovereignty and protecting our interests at home and abroad. ” – Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities