Canada’s largest icebreaker to undergo life extension upgrade

The Canadian government has issued an advance contract award notice (ACAN) signalling its intention to enter into a contract with local shipbuilder Chantier Davie of Lévis for vessel life extension work on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Louis S. St-Laurent, the country’s largest icebreaker.

As explained, the procurement ensures an open, fair and competitive process that will allow any other supplier with a comparable option to submit a proposal to the government before the contract is awarded.

Other interested suppliers will have 15 calendar days to submit a statement of capabilities to show they meet the requirements laid out in the ACAN.

Specifically, the ACAN was issued after Chantier Davie was identified as the only facility in Eastern Canada with a dry dock large enough to perform this work on the Louis S. St-Laurent. The vessel already underwent repair, refit and maintenance work in 2014, 2017 and 2019 at Chantier Davie.

The scheduled vessel life extension work on the 1969-commissioned CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent will take place over three 5-month dry-docking periods in 2022, 2024 and 2027 respectively, with an alongside work period in 2023.

Work includes, but is not limited to, inspections, regulatory maintenance and auxiliary equipment replacement.

“The vessel life extension of the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent will enable the Coast Guard to continue to provide critical icebreaking and emergency response services effectively and safely in Canadian waters, while providing economic opportunities for the Canadian marine sector in the Quebec region,” Public Services and Procurement Canada said in a statement.

The contract was awarded within the government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

“Icebreakers are vital to the safety of mariners, the resupply of northern communities and the continued flow of commerce through Canadian waters. As we welcome home the CCGS Louis S. St Laurent after months at sea, we are thrilled to announce this vessel will be repaired and upgraded so it can continue to provide these critical services for Canadians,” Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, commented.

“Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, our government is ensuring the Coast Guard has the equipment and tools it needs to carry out its crucial work from coast to coast to coast.”