Seaspan Shipyards has signed a contract with Newfoundland-based Genoa Design International to provide technical design services for the Canadian Coast Guard’s new heavy polar icebreaker, the company said in a statement.
Under the agreement, Genoa will expand its workforce to more than 100 naval architecture and marine systems designers, continuing work that will extend into the vessel’s construction phase at Vancouver Shipyards.
The company will also provide technical leadership and program support for the project, which is described as the first heavy icebreaker built in Canada in over six decades. The ship, measuring 158 metres in length and 28 metres in width, is designed to operate independently in Arctic waters year-round.
It will support Canadian Coast Guard operations across more than 162,000 km of Arctic coastline. Classified as Polar Class 2, the vessel will accommodate up to 100 personnel and is intended to sustain a continuous presence in Canada’s North, with roles including Arctic sovereignty, scientific research, support for Indigenous and northern communities, and emergency response such as search and rescue.
The polar icebreaker will be the seventh vessel designed and built by Seaspan under the federal National Shipbuilding Strategy.
It will also be the fifth Polar Class ship for the Canadian Coast Guard and part of a broader program of up to 21 icebreaking vessels under construction.
“Genoa’s signing of the Polar Icebreaker Build Contract with Vancouver Shipyards is the latest milestone in an enduring partnership that began and continues under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy,” said Gina Pecore, CEO of Genoa Design International.
“This agreement not only solidifies our role in the Canadian Polar Icebreaker program but also underscores Vancouver Shipyards’ confidence in our ability to provide reliable expertise to support another modern and complex ship construction,” said Laurie Balan, COO of Genoa Design International.
“Seaspan’s new heavy polar icebreaker is more than a ship — it represents a national capability for generations,” said Kate Morton, Vice President – Supply Chain at Seaspan Shipyards.
Genoa Design International is a privately held Canadian company specializing in digital ship design services. Founded in Newfoundland nearly 30 years ago, it provides naval architecture and engineering expertise to clients in North America, including projects for the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Coast Guard.
Seaspan Shipyards is a division of Seaspan ULC, headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It operates shipbuilding and ship repair facilities in British Columbia and employs approximately 4,300 people. The company is a designated prime contractor under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, working on both government and commercial maritime projects.
