Seaspan Lays Keel for Polar Icebreaker CCGS Imnaryuaq in Canada

On October 14, Seaspan Shipyards held the keel-laying ceremony for the future polar icebreaker CCGS Imnaryuaq at its Vancouver Shipyards facility in North Vancouver. The vessel is destined for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The ceremony marked the placement of the first constructed section of the ship, which Seaspan says will be the largest icebreaker of its kind ever designed and built in Canada.

The CCGS Imnaryuaq will measure 158 meters in length overall, with a beam of 28 meters and a design displacement of 26,036 tonnes, and will be able to accommodate up to 100 people. It will feature diesel-electric propulsion and Polar Class 2 icebreaking capability, a class that, according to Portal Portuario, will allow it to operate farther north, in harsher ice conditions and for longer periods than any Canadian icebreaker to date. Baird Maritime further reported that total installed power will be 47 MW, with ice-classed azimuth thrusters, and that the vessel will include scientific laboratories, a moonpool, a helicopter deck and hangar, a vehicle garage, and provision for future remotely piloted aircraft capabilities.

The vessel is designed to operate self-sufficiently in the High Arctic year-round and to sustain a permanent Canadian presence in the region. According to Baird Maritime, its planned missions include search and rescue, environmental response, Northern resupply, maritime security, and support for Arctic research. Naval Today added that, once delivered, the vessel will enable the Canadian Coast Guard to transit and operate along more than 162,000 km of Arctic coastline.

Two coins designed by Indigenous artists from the Squamish and Inuit nations were selected for the ceremony, including a commemorative piece from the Royal Canadian Mint chosen by the CCG. The coins were placed near the icebreaker's hull by Hitam Treadwell, Rigging Supervisor at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards, and Jeff Neilson, Acting Senior Director of Vessel Procurement at the CCG, and will remain there throughout the ship's service life.

Minister of National Defence David J. McGuinty stated that Canada's Arctic sovereignty depends on the ability to maintain presence, operate, and respond, and that the vessel will strengthen Canada's year-round presence in the North. Minister of Veterans Affairs Jill McKnight noted that investments in vessels like the Imnaryuaq will give the Coast Guard greater capabilities to operate in challenging environments. Seaspan began construction of the vessel in April 2025 with the cutting of the first steel, and Baird Maritime noted that the program's second polar icebreaker, the CCGS Arpatuuq, had its keel-laying ceremony in June 2026 and is expected to be delivered by 2030.