VESSEL REVIEW | CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk – Canadian Coast Guard places large offshore science vessel into service

The Canadian Coast Guard recently took delivery of a new research vessel built by Seaspan Shipyards.

Designed by Vard Marine and classed as an "offshore oceanographic science vessel" (OOSV), the Lloyd’s Register-classed CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk will accommodate up to 34 crewmembers and 26 Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists.

The vessel was built in line with the Canadian Government’s national shipbuilding strategy, an objective of which is to help bolster Canada’s presence in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

Reinforced construction for polar navigation

The OOSV was designed to become the largest dedicated science vessel in the Canadian Coast Guard fleet; provide increased capability and capacity to support the marine science missions of Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Canada’s east coast; and conduct work to help improve Canada's understanding of the Atlantic Ocean.

As a multi-role vessel, she is capable of oceanographic, fishery, geological and hydrographic survey missions.

Named after a famed Inuk elder from Quebec’s Nunavik area, Naalak Nappaaluk was designed for operation in harsh environments. She has an LOA of 87.93 metres (288.5 feet), a moulded beam of 17.6 metres (57.7 feet), a draught of 6.2 metres (20 feet), a depth of 9.25 metres (30.3 feet), and a displacement of 5,058 tons.

The hull features a reinforced bow and an ice belt extending to the waterline, which are essential for navigating first-year ice up to one metre (three feet) thick (in compliance with Polar Class 6 standards). These ensure safe transit through marginal ice zones without compromising speed or fuel efficiency.

Three 1,285kW (1,723hp) engines will drive two 1,350kW azimuthing Z-drives to deliver a maximum speed of 13.7 knots and a range of 13,250 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots. The vessel can stay out at sea for up to 84 days, allowing for months-long deployments even in Arctic waters.

The propulsion arrangement also includes a 250kW emergency generator and an 830kW bow thruster for additional lateral manoeuvrability.

Multiple spaces and equipment for science missions

The vessel is equipped with a deck that can swap out different equipment modules based on mission requirements, a marine mammal observation station, an ocean sampling room, multiple laboratories, a drop keel, sonars, a launch and recovery system, and equipment for collecting and analysing information to better understand ocean ecosystems. An A-frame and numerous cranes and winches are also fitted.

The vessel can also support search and rescue operations and environmental response, when needed. A rescue boat will be available for use in MOB situations while one liferaft and four lifeboats will be used should evacuation become necessary.

The exterior surfaces are coated with paint supplied by International Marine Coatings.

The OOSV is the first in a planned class of three that Seaspan is building for the Canadian Coast Guard.

Naalak Nappaaluk replaces the research vessel CCGS Hudson, which was decommissioned in 2022. The OOSV will be stationed at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, from where she will sail operationally beginning in 2026.