North Vancouver, BC – CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk, the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV), began sea trials this week in North Vancouver, sailing from Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards where final outfitting, installation, and commissioning work has been taking place since the vessel’s launch in August 2024.
Sea trials mark the final major phase of a shipbuilding project before delivery. Over the next few weeks, the ship will be put through full-scale exercises on the West Coast by specialists from Seaspan, the Canadian Coast Guard and major equipment suppliers to test performance of key systems and seaworthiness.
The tests ensure that the ship operates as designed and that all systems – including mechanical, electrical, hydraulics, scientific, communications, navigation, as well as fire and safety systems – are fully operational. On completion of sea trials, CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk will be prepared for delivery to the Canadian Coast Guard by the end of the summer, before sailing to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax, NS, where the ship will be based.
This milestone follows a number of other shipbuilding milestones at Seaspan over the last six months, including the launch of HMCS Protecteur and cutting steel on the CCG’s new heavy Polar Icebreaker.
(Photo from Seaspan)