Canadian government names two new coast guard patrol ships

The Canadian government, represented by Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Darren Fisher, has formally named the first two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPs) that will be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard.

The first coast guard AOPS and the seventh AOPS overall will be named CCGS Donjek Glacier after the Donjek Glacier located in Kluane National Park in Yukon. The second AOPS for the coast guard and the eighth and final AOPS overall will be named CCGS Sermilik Glacier after the Sermilik Glacier, located in Sirmilik National Park in Nunavut.

Under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), Irving Shipbuilding of Nova Scotia is constructing six AOPS vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and two AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard in addition to 15 River-class destroyers for the Royal Canadian Navy.

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, support search and rescue (SAR) and icebreaking operations, while strengthening Canada’s presence in the Arctic.

Like their navy counterparts, the coast guard's AOPS vessels 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.