Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) 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).
Seaspan and its workforce hosted the vessel’s acceptance ceremony on November 13 at Vancouver Shipyards, with the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry; Ernie Klassen, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Member of Parliament for South-Surrey-White Rock; the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Member of Parliament for North Vancouver-Capilano; Marc Mes, CCG Deputy Commissioner, Programs; and John McCarthy, CEO, Seaspan Shipyards; each providing celebratory remarks.
The delivery of the OOSV is a proud moment for the hundreds of Seaspan employees and Canadian suppliers who were directly involved in the ship’s construction and serves as another proof point for the Government of Canada of the success of the 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.
(Photos from Seaspan)