Davie shipyard has officially begun construction of the Polar Max icebreaker, a vessel that, once delivered by 2030, is expected to redefine Canada’s Arctic capabilities.
The Polar Max is a production-ready heavy icebreaker designed to operate in some of the world’s harshest conditions. The vessel will support Canada’s Arctic sovereignty, critical scientific missions, environmental protection efforts, and maritime security.
Uniquely, Polar Max will be constructed through an innovative industrial collaboration between Canadian-controlled facilities in Helsinki, Finland and Lévis, Canada. Construction on the Polar Max hull will begin at Davie’s Helsinki Shipyard, which has built 100% of the complex medium to heavy icebreakers delivered from Finland over the past 25 years.
The largest proportion of the work on the Polar Max, and delivery of the ship to the Canadian Coast Guard, will be from Davie’s home facility in Lévis, which is simultaneously undergoing an $840 million upgrade.
The hybrid build strategy will accelerate the delivery of the ship by several years ahead of the original schedule.
Notable features of the project include:
• Rapid: Construction will begin just five months after contract signature.
• Disciplined: Fixed-price contract supports on-time delivery and cost benefits.
• Business boost: $200 million will be invested in small and medium-sized Canadian businesses throughout the Polar Max supply chain.
• Québec jobs: The creation of thousands of high-value jobs in Lévis, across the province and throughout Canada’s marine industry will be accelerated.
• New partners: Le Groupe ALMACO, a proudly Canadian subsidiary of ALMACO Group, will deliver a major outfitting contract for Polar Max. This collaboration will create jobs, industrial capability, and a first-in-Canada modular cabin factory in Québec.
• Knowledge transfer: Workforce and expertise exchange with Helsinki Shipyard will directly strengthen future National Shipbuilding Strategy projects.
“Today’s steel cutting ceremony is more than the start of construction of one very special ship. It’s the start of a new chapter in Canadian Arctic leadership,” said James Davies, CEO of Davie. “The Polar Max represents how trusted allies can collaborate to deliver strategically vital projects when they are needed most. We want to thank the governments of Canada and Québec for their vision, and we are determined to deliver this ship on time and on budget.”
