Conceptual rendering of CCGS John G. Diefenbaker released by the Canadian Coast Guard. | |
History | |
---|---|
Canada | |
Name | John G. Diefenbaker |
Namesake | John G. Diefenbaker + one other |
Owner | Government of Canada |
Operator | Canadian Coast Guard |
Builder | |
Cost | C$7.25 billion (2021 Parliamentary Budget Office estimate for two vessels) [1] |
Yard number | 198 (Seaspan) |
In service | Planned by 2030 for the first vessel |
General characteristics (as of 2024) [2] [3] | |
Type | Icebreaker |
Displacement | 26,036 t (25,625 long tons) [4] |
Length | 158.2 m (519 ft 0 in) |
Beam | 28 m (91 ft 10 in) |
Draught | 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) |
Ice class | Polar Class 2 Icebreaker(+) [5] |
Installed power | |
Propulsion | Diesel-electric; two ABB Azipod units and one shaft, 34 MW (45,600 hp) (combined) |
Speed |
|
Range | Over 26,200 nmi (48,500 km; 30,200 mi) in Sea State 3 |
Endurance |
|
Crew |
|
Aircraft carried | 2 × medium-lift helicopters |
Aviation facilities | Helipad and hangar |
CCGS John G. Diefenbaker is the name for a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker that had been expected to join the fleet by 2017 but has been significantly delayed. [6] Her namesake, John G. Diefenbaker, was Canada's 13th prime minister. It was Diefenbaker's government that founded the Canadian Coast Guard in 1962.
The ship was initially to have been constructed by Seaspan as part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. However, by 2020, both the timing and location of this build had become uncertain. In February 2020, the federal government initiated a request to all interested Canadian shipyards to outline their capacity to potentially construct John G. Diefenbaker with the objective of securing service entry by December 2029. [7]
In May 2021, the government announced that two ships of a single class would now be constructed, [8] one at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyard in British Columbia and the other at the Davie yard in Quebec, "pending the successful completion of the ongoing selection process as the third strategic partner for large ships construction under the National Shipbuilding Strategy". That umbrella agreement was significantly delayed being only signed in April 2023. [9]
The revised service entry date for the first vessel had been projected as 2030, but given the delays in reaching the umbrella agreement with Davie it was unclear whether that date could be met. The budget for this expanded program was unknown. [8] In late 2021, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated the cost for two ships at $7.25 billion. [1]
On 27 February 2008, the Government of Canada announced plans for a "Polar Class Icebreaker Project" as part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy. At the time, the vessel's commissioned name was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a visit to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on 28 August 2008. The project initially had an estimated budget of C$720 million to replace the nation's largest icebreaker and the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. [10] [11] [12] [13]
The Minister of Defence Peter MacKay stated that the icebreaker will be built in Canada. [14] As of the award of the NSPS contracts, John G. Diefenbaker will be built by Seaspan in British Columbia. Former Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Loyola Hearn announced the icebreaker will be homeported in his riding of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He also stated that the vessel will be larger than Louis S. St-Laurent which she will be replacing. [15]
In October 2012, a 1:25 scale model of John G. Diefenbaker was being evaluated in at the National Research Council's Institute for Ocean Technology in St. John's. [16] Additional testing was carried out at Aker Arctic's ice tank in Finland. [2]
The Canadian Coast Guard announced on 28 April 2010 that it was then "at the preliminary stages of conceptual design for the polar icebreaker. A "Request for Proposals" to undertake detailed design work was to have been ready mid-2011 with vessel construction to begin in 2013. [17] However, continuous scheduling delays on other projects at the Seaspan yard, as well as budgetary increases, resulted in the reallocation of the planned icebreaker to another yard in 2019.
In early February 2012, STX Canada Marine (now Vard Marine Inc) was awarded the contract to design the new icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. Although the majority of the design work was conducted in Vancouver, British Columbia by STX Canada, the design team also included the Finnish engineering company Aker Arctic. [18] The work was initially planned to be complete by the end of 2013.
In May 2013 the Vancouver Sun reported that the Harper government acknowledged that both John G. Diefenbaker and the Royal Canadian Navy's new joint support ships faced a scheduling conflict. [19] According to the Vancouver Sun, because both vessels were scheduled to be built in the same facility, the Harper government would have to choose which project had priority, and went first. The Canadian American Strategic Review argued that John G. Diefenbaker better served protecting Canadian sovereignty than the joint support ships, and should therefore get built first. [20] However, on 11 October 2013 the NSPS Secretariat announced that the joint support ships would be built first, followed by John G. Diefenbaker. This delay, coupled with the later decision to re-open the issue of where the Diefenbaker was to be constructed, required the government to try to keep the old icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent in service through the 2020s. Refits were planned for that ship to take place at the Davie Shipyard over three 5-month dry-docking periods in 2022, 2024 and 2027 respectively, with an alongside work period in 2023. [21]
In November 2013, it was reported that the budget for John G. Diefenbaker was revised up to 1.3 billion Canadian dollars, almost twice the initial estimate. [22] Melanie Carkner of the Canadian Coast Guard stated that part of the price increase was to cover future requirements for the ship. [23]
In November 2016, the Government of Canada announced a solicitation/request for proposals for the leasing of interim icebreakers under a fast track procurement process to fill the gap until and after John G. Diefenbaker reaches full operational capability. Chantier Davie Canada has proposed converting four existing icebreaking offshore vessels for this purpose: the US-flagged Aiviq and the Swedish Tor Viking II , Vidar Viking and Balder Viking. [24]
Originally the ship was allocated to be built by Seaspan at their Vancouver Shipyard facility, in British Columbia after the company completed work on the joint support ship project. However, the latter project was significantly delayed and in 2019 the Government of Canada announced a decision to remove the Polar Icebreaker from Seaspan's portfolio of work and an announcement to build up to sixteen Multi Purpose Vessels. Following a Government review, in 2021, that decision was reversed and the Government announced that two Polar Icebreaker's would be built, one at Seaspan and one at the Davie Yard in Quebec.
After a brief hiatus, the development of the Canadian Coast Guard polar icebreaker picked up again in late 2021. Design updates since have included changing the propulsion layout and substituting the extra high tensile steel that was previously identified as a potential major risk item. [3] [25]
Michael Byers, the Canada Research chair in global politics and international law at the University of British Columbia, stated that "this icebreaker and new money for mapping is something that Arctic experts like myself have been calling for, for some years now. I hope it's real. I hope it's not just an election promise. [12] We need it and we need it right now. But I'm still somewhat skeptical. This has been done before for cynical electoral politics." [26]
John G. Diefenbaker will have an overall length of 158.2 metres (519 ft 0 in) and beam of 28.0 metres (91 ft 10 in). [3] Drawing 10.5 metres (34 ft 5 in) of water, the icebreaker has a displacement of 26,036 tonnes (25,625 long tons). [3] [4] She is projected to have a core crew of 60 and accommodation for additional 40 project personnel. Her facilities include laboratories and modular mission spaces, a moon pool, general purpose cargo hold and garage, multiple cranes and a helideck and hangar for two medium-lift helicopters. In addition, she is capable of receiving and refueling larger helicopters. [27]
If built, this class of ship will eventually have a complement of 100 per vessel. They are estimated to be capable of carrying fuel and supplies to be self-sufficient for 270 days and be capable of making constant progress through 2.5 metres (8 ft) of ice. [28]
John G. Diefenbaker will be classified by Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Her ice class is Polar Class 2 , the second highest ice class according to the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships. Furthermore, the class notation Icebreaker(+) will result in additional structural strengthening based on analysis of the vessel's operational profile potential ice loading scenarios. [2] John G. Diefenbaker is one of the first vessels to hold this class notation. [5]
John G. Diefenbaker will be fitted with a fully integrated diesel-electric propulsion system consisting of four 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 16V31 and two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 8V31 four-stroke medium-speed diesel generating sets with a combined output of about 47 MW (63,000 hp). [29] The power plant, divided into two separate engine rooms, provides power for all shipboard consumers from propulsion motors to lighting in the accommodation spaces. [2]
Initially, two propulsion alternatives were proposed during the preliminary design: a traditional three-shaft configuration with a centerline rudder and a hybrid propulsion system consisting of two wing shafts and an azimuth thruster in the middle for improved maneuverability. Of these, the Canadian Coast Guard selected the latter with two 11 MW (14,800 hp) shafts and a single 12 MW (16,100 hp) azimuth thruster. [2] [30] This was later swapped around to two ABB Azipod units flanking a fixed shaft in the middle. [3] [31] The combined shaft power, 34 MW (45,600 hp), is almost the same as that of the Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers Taymyr and Vaygach. This makes John G. Diefenbaker the most powerful diesel-electric icebreaker in the world and the third most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker after the two gas turbine-powered Polar-class icebreakers operated by the United States Coast Guard. [27] The icebreaker is also fitted with an air bubbling system that provides hull lubrication and reduces ice friction during icebreaking operations. [2]
For maneuvering at ports as well as stationkeeping capability in Sea State 5 and currents of up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) in open water, she will also be fitted with two 1,900 kW (2,548 hp) Steerprop bow thrusters. [2] [32]
John G. Diefenbaker is designed to break level ice with a thickness of 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) and with a 30-centimetre (12 in) snow cover at over 3 knots. In terms of icebreaking capability, this ranks her just below the largest Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers. Her operational range at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) in Sea State 3 is projected to be over 26,200 nautical miles (48,500 km; 30,200 mi) and she can operate in 2.2-metre (7.2 ft) ice at full power for 25 days. The logistical endurance of the vessel will be 270 days. [27] The new icebreaker will be able to achieve a maximum speed of about 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) in open water, but her normal cruising speed is around 12 knots.
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels, such as the icebreaking boats that were once used on the canals of the United Kingdom.
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in Canadian waters, such as navigation aids and icebreaking, marine pollution response, and support for other Canadian government initiatives. The Coast Guard operates 119 vessels of varying sizes and 23 helicopters, along with a variety of smaller craft. The CCG is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, and is a special operating agency within Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
CCGS Henry Larsen is a Canadian Coast Guard Improved Pierre Radisson-class icebreaker serving in the Newfoundland and Labrador region and based in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Entering service in 1988, Henry Larsen is the fourth ship and of an improved design over the rest of the ships in her class. The ship operates in the Arctic Ocean during summer months.
CCGS Terry Fox is a Canadian Coast Guard heavy icebreaker. She was originally built by Burrard-Yarrows Corporation in Canada in 1983 as part of an Arctic drilling system developed by BeauDril, the drilling subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. After the offshore oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea ended in the early 1990s, she was first leased and then sold to the Canadian Coast Guard.
CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) heavy icebreaker. Louis S. St-Laurent's home port is St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. She is the largest icebreaker and flagship of the CCG.
Seaspan ULC provides marine-related services to the Pacific Northwest. Within the Group are three (3) shipyards, an intermodal ferry and car float business, along with a tug and barge transportation company that serves both domestic and international markets. Seaspan, is part of the Washington Companies that are owned by Dennis Washington. Kyle Washington, is the Executive Chairman of Seaspan, who has become a Canadian citizen.
The Protecteur class of naval auxiliaries for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) began as the Joint Support Ship Project, a Government of Canada procurement project for the RCN that is part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. It will see the RCN acquire two multi-role vessels to replace the earlier Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels.
CCGS Des Groseilliers is a Pierre Radisson-class icebreaker in the Canadian Coast Guard. The vessel is named after Médard Chouart des Groseilliers (1618–1669) a close associate of Pierre-Esprit Radisson in explorations west of the Great Lakes and the founding of the British Hudson's Bay Company. The ship entered service in 1982. The vessel has participated in a number of research voyages, including Ice Station SHEBA. As part of the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean experiment conducted in the Arctic Ocean from October 1997 to October 1998 to provide polar input to global climate models, Des Groseilliers was allowed to be frozen into the ice for the Arctic winter, to serve as a base for scientific researchers.
Davie Shipbuilding is a shipbuilding company located in Lauzon, Quebec, Canada. The facility is now operating as Chantier Davie Canada Inc. and is the oldest continually operating shipbuilder in North America.
The Polar 8 Project was a Canadian shipbuilding project intended to provide the Canadian Coast Guard with a large and heavy class icebreaker capable of operating year-round in the Northwest Passage. The project was developed as a means to assert Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic Ocean. It commenced in 1985 but was cancelled in 1990 while still in the final design stage. It was Canada's direct response to the unauthorized transit through the Northwest Passage in summer 1985 by USCGC Polar Sea, a United States Coast Guard icebreaker. Polar 8 refers the capability of the ship in ice of that thickness in feet, in this case 8 feet (2.4 m).
Polar Class (PC) refers to the ice class assigned to a ship by a classification society based on the Unified Requirements for Polar Class Ships developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Seven Polar Classes are defined in the rules, ranging from PC 1 for year-round operation in all polar waters to PC 7 for summer and autumn operation in thin first-year ice.
CCGS Captain Molly Kool is a Canadian Coast Guard converted medium class icebreaker. She was originally built as an icebreaking anchor handling tug Vidar Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore in 2001. The vessel was acquired by the Canadian Coast Guard in August 2018 and was commissioned in May of the next year after refit. She is named after the Canadian sailor, Molly Kool.
Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels are warships of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) built within the Government of Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) procurement project, part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. In July 2007 the federal government announced plans for acquiring six to eight icebreaking warships for the RCN.
A double acting ship is a type of icebreaking ship designed to travel forwards in open water and thin ice, but turn around and proceed astern (backwards) in heavy ice conditions. In this way, the ship can operate independently in severe ice conditions without icebreaker assistance but retain better open water performance than traditional icebreaking vessels.
CCGS Jean Goodwill is an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) converted to a medium class icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. She was originally built as Balder Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore AS in 2000. The vessel was sold to Canada in 2018 and was initially expected to enter service in late 2019 following a refit. However, due to delays the conversion of the vessel was not completed until November 2020.
The National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), formerly the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS), is a Government of Canada program operated by the Department of Public Works and Government Services. The NSS was developed under the Stephen Harper Government in an effort to renew the fleets of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The strategy was broken into three sections; the combat package, the non-combat package and the smaller vessel package. The companies who won the bids for the larger ships were not permitted to bid on the smaller vessel package. In 2019 the Trudeau Government decided to add a third shipyard to the NSS specializing in the construction of icebreakers for the Coast Guard. The agreement to incorporate Davie as a third shipyard within the NSS was finally signed in April 2023.
Nunavik is an icebreaking bulk carrier owned and operated by the Canadian shipping company Fednav. She is used to transport copper and nickel from the Nunavik Nickel Project, making 7–8 round trips per year.
CCGS Judy LaMarsh is a Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker. Built in 2010 as a shallow-draught icebreaking tug Mangystau-2 for the Caspian Sea oil fields, the vessel was acquired by Canada as an interim solution while the existing fleet undergoes service life extension and maintenance.
Ottawa will put aside $720 million this year to commission the icebreaker, which the government says will have better ice breaking capability than the Louis St. Laurent, considered the workhorse of the Coast Guard.
Despite setting aside $720 million in yesterday's budget to purchase a new polar class icebreaker, the government will be cutting things close if it wants to decommission the ageing Louis St. Laurent heavy icebreaker as scheduled by 2017, according to Canadian Coast Guard commissioner George Da Pont.
...and $720 million in funding for the Coast Guard will translate into a polar class ice-breaker that will be based in Newfoundland..."This is a bigger boat, so you can add to that."
This scheduling conflict was acknowledged in a recent Defence Department report tabled in Parliament, which noted that "the Joint Support Ship and the Polar Icebreaker are progressing on a very similar schedule such that they both could be ready for construction at the same time."
There is no question that the JSS Project has become a major embarrassment [sic] for the Harper government. But this shouldn't be a decision based on political considerations. The only question that matters is which ship class adds the most to assuring Canadian sovereignty. Without JSS, the RCN loses much of its capacity to project Canadian military power abroad. Without heavy icebreakers, Canada will lose much of its ability to establish a 'presence' in the High Arctic (as well as needed infrastructure support in the south during winter).