Canada's Irving Shipbuilding has launched the first of two Arctic and offshore patrol ships (AOPS) being built for the Canadian Coast Guard.
As her designation implies, the future CCGS Donjek Glacier is designed to be capable of patrols in Arctic and offshore waters within Canada's exclusive economic zone. The hull is therefore being built in compliance with IACS Polar Class 5, giving the ship limited icebreaking capability.
Six AOPS were also built by Irving for the Royal Canadian Navy, where they are known as the Harry DeWolf-class.
The Canadian Coast Guard’s AOPS variants will be tasked with a wide range of missions. Both ships will operate as the Canadian Coast Guard’s primary platform with increased capabilities to support fisheries enforcement on Canada’s east coast and to support search and rescue and icebreaking operations while strengthening Canada’s presence in the Arctic.
Like their navy counterparts, the coast guard's AOPS will each have a length of 103 metres, a beam of 19 metres, a displacement of 6,600 tonnes, and a speed of 17 knots.
Construction is also underway on the future CCGS Sermilik Glacier, the coast guard's second AOPS.
