CCGS Arpatuuq
![]() Conceptual rendering released by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2012 | |
History | |
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Name | Arpatuuq[2] |
Namesake | Akpatok Island |
Owner | Government of Canada |
Operator | Canadian Coast Guard |
Builder | Seaspan Shipyards |
Cost | C$8.5 billion (2024 estimate for two vessels)[3] |
Yard number | 198 |
Completed | 2030 (planned) |
Homeport | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador[1] |
General characteristics [4][5] | |
Type | Icebreaker |
Displacement | 26,036 t (25,625 long tons)[6] |
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(+)[7] |
Installed power | |
Propulsion | Diesel-electric; two ABB Azipod units and one shaft, 34 MW (45,600 hp) (combined) |
Speed |
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Range | Over 26,200 nmi (48,500 km; 30,200 mi) in Sea State 3 |
Endurance |
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Crew |
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Aircraft carried | 2 × medium-lift helicopters |
Aviation facilities | Helipad and hangar |
CCGS Arpatuuq is a future Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker that will be built under the Polar Icebreaker Project as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The ship was initially expected to join the fleet by 2017 but has been significantly delayed and is now expected by 2030.[8]
The ship was originally to be named CCGS John G. Diefenbaker after John G. Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th prime minister whose government that founded the Canadian Coast Guard in 1962, but the new name was announced on 19 August 2024.[2]
Development and construction
[edit]Background
[edit]![]() | This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: Clarify timeline and fill in gaps. (August 2024) |
On 27 February 2008, the Government of Canada announced plans for a "Polar Class Icebreaker Project" as part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy. 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.[9][10][11][12]
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.[13]
In May 2013 the Vancouver Sun reported that the Harper government acknowledged that both the polar icebreaker and the Royal Canadian Navy's new joint support ships faced a scheduling conflict.[14] On 11 October 2013, the NSPS Secretariat announced that the joint support ships would be built first, followed by the polar icebreaker. This delay, coupled with the later decision to re-open the issue of where the polar icebreaker was to be constructed, required the government to try to keep the old icebreaker CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent in service through the 2020s.[15]
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.[5][16]
Construction
[edit]The construction of Arpatuuq is projected to begin in 2024–2025 and the vessel is projected to enter service in 2030–2031.[3] The vessel is in Construction Engineering (CE) phase and the shipyard has also cut steel for the so-called "prototype block".[17]
Design
[edit]General characteristics
[edit]Arpatuuq will have an overall length of 158.2 metres (519 ft) and beam of 28.0 metres (91 ft 10 in).[5] Drawing 10.5 metres (34 ft 5 in) of water, the icebreaker has a displacement of 26,036 tonnes (25,625 long tons).[5][6] 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.[18]
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.[19]
Arpatuuq 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.[4] John G. Diefenbaker is one of the first vessels to hold this class notation.[7]
Power and propulsion
[edit]Arpatuuq 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).[20] The power plant, divided into two separate engine rooms, provides power for all shipboard consumers from propulsion motors to lighting in the accommodation spaces.[4]
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.[4][21] This was later swapped around to two ABB Azipod units flanking a fixed shaft in the middle.[5][22] 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 Arpatuuq 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.[18] The icebreaker is also fitted with an air bubbling system that provides hull lubrication and reduces ice friction during icebreaking operations.[4]
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.[4][23]
Performance
[edit]Arpatuuq 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.[18] 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.
References
[edit]- ^ Mullowney, Tara (4 March 2008). "Feds fall short". Southern Gazette. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
...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."
- ^ a b "Working with the North, for the North". Government of Canada. Canadian Coast Guard. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ a b Creighton, Mark; Kho, Albert (28 June 2024). "The Polar Icebreaker Project: 2024 Update". Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Newbury, Scott; McGreer, Dan (October 2014). "Vessel report: Polar icebreaker" (PDF). Marine Technology. pp. 68–71. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Aker Arctic provides ice expertise for Canadian Polar Icebreaker". Aker Arctic. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Seaspan Shipyards Unveils Digital Model of Canada's Heavy Polar Icebreaker". Seaspan. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b "LR to class versatile icebreaker for Canadian Coast Guard". Lloyd's Register. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Arctic icebreaker delayed as Tories prioritize supply ships". CBC News. The Canadian Press. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Arctic icebreaker, fishing port, tax break a start: northerners". CBC News. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Windeyer, Chris (29 February 2008). "Feds to replace old icebreaker". Nunatsiaq News. Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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.
- ^ Berthiaume, Lee (27 February 2008). "Icebreaker Replacement Deadline Looms: Despite $720 million in yesterday's federal budget, procurement for a new polar icebreaker will take eight to 10 years". Embassy, Canada's Foreign Policy Newsletter. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2008.
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.
- ^ Thomas, Brodie (3 March 2008). "Reaction mixed on fed's budget". Northern News Services. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Aker Arctic helps design new Canadian icebreaker". Good News Finland. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Berthiaume, Lee (7 May 2013). "Feds face tough choice as naval resupply ships, icebreaker on collision course at Vancouver shipyard". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
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."
- ^ Hakirevic, Naida (4 November 2020). "Canada's largest icebreaker to undergo life extension upgrade". navaltoday.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Canada could face trouble buying specialized steel for new $7-billion icebreakers". Ottawa Citizen. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Polar icebreakers". Government of Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b c McGreer, Dan (2013). "Design of the CCG Polar Icebreaker" (PDF). STX Canada Marine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ Pugliese, David (8 February 2012). "Polar Icebreaker Design Launched With Awarding of Contract to STX Canada". Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ "Fuel efficiency of Wärtsilä 31 engine a key consideration for newbuild Canadian Polar Icebreaker". Wärtsilä. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "Canadian Polar icebreaker reaches phase III" (PDF). Arctic Passion News. Aker Arctic Technology Inc. January 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ "ABB partners with Seaspan Shipyards on new Canadian Coast Guard polar icebreaker". ABB. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "Steerprop to supply arctic bow thrusters for Canada's new Polar Icebreaker". Steerprop. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
External links
[edit]- "Icebreakers and the Arctic Ocean". Slave River Journal. 14 November 2008. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2008.