US EditionWork begins in Finland on a new Canadian icebreaker for Arctic defense
The Polar Max icebreaker project will create thousands of jobs, invest CAD 200 million in Canadian businesses, and enhance Arctic sovereignty through advanced shipbuilding expertise.
- On August 20, 2025, Chantier Davie Canada Inc. began construction of the Polar Max icebreaker at its Helsinki Shipyard, marked by a steel-cutting ceremony attended by Stephen Fuhr and Mélanie Joly under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
- Davie says its hybrid approach under the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort leverages Finnish shipbuilding expertise with hull fabrication at Helsinki Shipyard to accelerate delivery and transfer skills to Canadian workers.
- The hull will be completed in Helsinki and then barged to Lévis, Quebec for final assembly, taking about three years with delivery of the Polar Max expected by 2030; the vessel will exceed current Coast Guard icebreakers in endurance and power.
- CAD 200 million will be invested in small and medium‑sized Canadian businesses, and Davie is sending about 30 Canadian shipbuilders to Finland to transfer know‑how, creating thousands of jobs in Lévis, Quebec.
- Amid broader Arctic competition, the federal government says the Polar Max project under NSS asserts Canada's Arctic sovereignty, supports the Canadian Coast Guard, and strengthens ties with Finland and European partners.
22 Articles
22 Articles
dignitaries began work on a new Canadian icebreaker, Polar Max, to strengthen Arctic defence.
At a inauguration ceremony in Finland on Wednesday, dignitaries began work on a new Canadian icebreaker, Polar Max, to strengthen Arctic defence.
Helsinki Shipyard Cuts Steel for Canada's Next Polar Icebreaker
Chantier Davie's Helsinki Shipyard has cut steel for the Canadian Coast Guard's next polar icebreaker, the future CCGS?Imnaryuaq. It is the second of the two different heavy icebreakers that the Canadian government has ordered under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Heavy icebreakers are unique and challenging vessels, requiring extra-thick hulls, special steel and heavy internal framing to brace the ship against ice pressure. Most icebreakers…
Associated Press News
Work begins in Finland on a new Canadian icebreaker for Arctic defense
Dignitaries at a steel-cutting ceremony in Finland have marked the start of work on a new Canadian icebreaker to be named the Polar Max and aimed at bolstering Arctic defense.
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