Jul 31, 2024 - 20:41
By cbc.ca

Arctic glaciers serve as namesake for 2 future coast guard vessels

A ceremonial good-luck coin has been welded into the keel of one of the Canadian Coast Guard's two future Arctic and offshore patrol ships — both of which will be named after glaciers.

The names of the CCGS Donjek Glacier and the CCGS Sermilik Glacier were announced Wednesday at Halifax's Irving Shipbuilding, where the keel of the Donjek Glacier is already complete.

The Donjek Glacier is named after a glacier in Yukon's Kluane National Park. The Sermilik Glacier's namesake is found in Nunavut's Sirmilik National Park — and its name is an Inuktitut word meaning «place of glaciers.»

Once fully built, the primary purpose of these two ships will be to support fisheries enforcement and surveillance missions along Canada's East Coast.

As a secondary function, the ice-ready ships will be able to both assist in search-and-rescue missions and icebreaking operations and also strengthen Canada's position in the Arctic, Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher said at the unveiling.

«We want to ensure that the Canadian Coast Guard has everything they need to protect Canada's marine environment while ensuring our country's sovereignty by maintaining a strong presence in our water, especially in the Arctic,» Fisher said.

The two vessels are being built as part of the country's national shipbuilding strategy. The contract was first announced in May 2019 and construction of the Donjek Glacier began in August 2023.

The ships will replace two of five similar patrol vessels in the Canadian Coast Guard's fleet.

As of the end of 2023, more than $26.5 billion in total contracts had been awarded under the strategy.