As part of the government’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, Canada has hired regional shipbuilders to start building the Coast Guard’s cutting-edge polar icebreakers. The project, which has been awarded to Vancouver Shipyards and Chantier Davie Canada Inc., will create two ships to replace the service’s deteriorating heavy icebreakers, notably the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, which has been in service since the 1960s and has the largest hull. Vancouver Shipyards was given about 3.15 billion Canadian dollars ($2.1 billion) to start building the new ships, while Chantier Davie was given $3.25 billion ($2.2 billion).
