and October, providing greater and
longer CAF presence in the North.
“The ships were designed to Polar
Class 5, enabling them to operate in
medium first-year ice of 120-centime-
tre thickness, which may include old
ice inclusions,” says Geoff Simpson,
Director General of Major Project
Delivery for Sea. “They are also being
constructed with high grades of steel
with a maximum hull thickness of
43mm to allow operations in extreme
arctic temperatures and ice. This will
allow the Royal Canadian Navy to
have unescorted access to areas of
the Arctic that were previously inac-
cessible.”
The vessels will also incorporate other
capabilities to allow the ship to oper-
ate independently in the Arctic such
as ice-capable propellers, winterized
lifeboats and robust de-icing features.
JANUARY 2019 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 37
