Seaspan Delivers Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel

Seaspan Shipyards has officially delivered the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).

The OOSV is the fourth large vessel, and second class of ship, to be built and delivered by Seaspan under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is named after a well-respected elder from Nunavik who was a renowned promoter of Inuit language and culture.
The ship will replace CCGS Hudson, which was decommissioned in 2022 following 59 years of dedicated service.

The new OOSV will be Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s primary oceanographic science platform, outfitted for habitat management, marine surveys and scientific research on ocean currents and the seabed, while also being able to serve the needs of the Canadian Coast Guard, aiding in operations such as Search and Rescue.

This highly complex ship is a floating laboratory, with specialized equipment that includes several advanced wet and dry labs, an ocean sampling room, a scientific seawater system for studying oxygen levels, temperature and salinity, and a state-of-the-art drop keel and sensor suite for collecting and analyzing data on everything from water current velocities to underwater acoustics.

The OOSV will sail to Patricia Bay for Canadian Coast Guard training and familiarity before starting its voyage to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the ship’s home port.

The OOSV’s delivery follows a number of other shipbuilding milestones at Seaspan over the last year, including the launch of HMCS Protecteur, cutting steel on the CCG’s new heavy Polar Icebreaker, a successful Functional Design Review for the Multi-Purpose Icebreakers and the design award for six U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters.