en.Wedoany.com Reported - Key progress has been made in the construction of Canada's heavy polar icebreaker, with the vessel now fully entering the block construction phase one year after the first steel plate cutting. According to Seaspan (Seaspan ULC), the first mega block weighing 330 tons has completed structural assembly, and over 49 blocks are currently under construction.

This 26,000-ton full-displacement vessel is being built at Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver, with block manufacturing and production progressing as planned. Victoria Shipyards and Seaspan's Ark Road facility on Vancouver Island are also undertaking significant manufacturing work. The first mega block includes the centerline propulsion motor room, fuel tanks, and void spaces. Seaspan stated that the assembly and outfitting work for this unit is ahead of schedule. The propulsion motor base uses 50 mm thick steel plates, marking the first use of thicker steel plates on this vessel, designed to support year-round independent operations in the high Arctic region at temperatures as low as -50°C.

Currently, the heaviest and largest polar block weighs 230 tons and has been lifted onto support cradles using Seaspan's 300-ton gantry crane. This block is expected to weigh 465 tons upon completion. Work on this block includes welding steel plates up to 60 mm thick, employing new processes including robotic welding technology, and drawing on experience from other Polar Class vessels and earlier completed polar structural prototype blocks. Seaspan stated that early pre-outfitting work in the panel assembly shop is also progressing, with the first underwater hull block already coated with a wear-resistant hull coating designed for icebreaking operations.

The project involves over 55 Canadian companies. This icebreaker is the seventh vessel designed and built by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the fifth Polar Class vessel ordered by the Canadian Coast Guard. John McCarthy, CEO of Seaspan Shipyards, stated that a year after the first steel plate cutting ceremony was held at the shipyard, a highly skilled workforce has now been developed, possessing the skills required to weld thick steel plates capable of traversing Arctic ice. Kevin Brosseau, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Canadian Department of National Defence and Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, stated that this milestone reflects the strength of Canadian expertise and partnerships, bringing the country closer to having a vessel that will support year-round Arctic operations and sovereignty maintenance for decades to come.

Seaspan ULC is a Canadian marine industrial group involved in ship design, engineering, construction, and repair, operating facilities including sites in North Vancouver and Victoria, with approximately 5,000 employees.

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