The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation of Ontario, Canada, has placed an order for a new icebreaking tug.
The community will use the tug to break ice on Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario during the colder months to enable its ferry service to operate for a longer duration each year, thus covering periods both earlier and later in the season.
With its icebreaking capabilities, the 17-metre tug will ensure wider operability of the community’s ferry service between Georgina Island and Virginia Beach on the mainland.
The vessel's hull will be built in Poland while the final outfitting will be undertaken in the Netherlands. Its delivery to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in the Montreal region is scheduled for September 2026, before the annual closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
After that, the client will continue the voyage to Lake Simcoe via the Trent-Severn Waterway before that, too, is closed to marine traffic until the following year.