Chantier Davie, based in Quebec, has been awarded an 11.3-billion-Canadian-dollar ($8.1-billion) contract to build six Polar Class 3 icebreaker vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard.
The new icebreakers will gradually replace aging heavy and medium vessels currently supporting winter operations across Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence River system, and the Great Lakes. They will also be deployed for Arctic operations during the summer.
Designed for demanding polar environments, Polar Class 3 ships are capable of operating in areas with second-year ice conditions and supporting extended deployments.
Construction is set to begin next year, with Chantier Davie scheduled to cut steel for the first vessel at its Lévis shipyard. The first icebreaker is expected to be delivered in 2032, while all six ships are planned to be commissioned by 2038.
The shipbuilding program is expected to create or sustain nearly 5,000 jobs during the construction phase and generate around 650 million Canadian dollars ($469 million) in annual economic activity. In line with Canada’s Buy Canadian policy, locally sourced steel and other domestic components will be used in the construction process.
Prime Minister Mark Carney described the agreement as the largest shipbuilding deal ever awarded in Quebec.
Part of Canada’s Long-Term Shipbuilding Plan
The contract supports Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, a long-term effort targeting the construction of 88 new vessels for the country’s maritime forces by 2045.
Davie previously received a 19.6-million-Canadian-dollar ($14.1-million) initial design contract in 2024 to develop the Polar Class 3 icebreaker program. The company later secured another major contract in 2025, valued at 3.25 billion Canadian dollars ($2.3 billion), to build the larger Polar Class 2 heavy icebreaker CCGS Arpatuuq.
Canada’s shipbuilding strategy also complements the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact involving Canada, the United States, and Finland, which seeks to expand icebreaking capabilities and reinforce security and cooperation in the Arctic region.
