Repurposed Icebreaker Enters Service With Canadian Coast Guard

CCGS Judy LaMarsh before her refit (CCG)

A light icebreaker acquired by Canada in 2021 at a cost of C$45.2 million (US$36.6 million) has entered service, marking the first time an additional large vessel has joined the Great Lakes region in over three decades. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Judy LaMarsh will be homeported in Prescott, Ontario, from where she is expected to carry out icebreaking and buoy tending operations across the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River in Ontario and Quebec. She is the service's first large new vessel on the Great Lakes in more than 30 years.

The ship was built in 2010 as a shallow-draught icebreaking tug, and was registered in Turkmenistan as the Mangystau-2. For over a decade, she operated as a commercial firefighting tug in the Caspian Sea oil fields, offering services like icebreaking, towing and pushing supply barges. She was also on standby for firefighting and oil spill cleanup operations.

In 2021, the Canadian government acquired the light icebreaker from New Brunswick-based Atlantic Towing as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The vessel underwent conversion at Newdock in St. John’s, with the works including refurbishment to her propulsion, communication, and navigation systems. Other projects included upgrades to workspaces and accommodation facilities, and installation of a new buoy crane.

Named after Judy LaMarsh, a renowned politician, lawyer, author and broadcaster and one of the first women to serve as a federal cabinet minister, the repurposed ship has entered service with her core tasks being to maintain safe and accessible waterways in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway, and Atlantic Canada. She will provide a wide range of services geared at bolstering year-round operations across one of the busiest maritime environments in the country.

“This vessel will give Coast Guard crews another important tool to deliver for Canadians across the region — from icebreaking and maintaining navigation routes to supporting safe and reliable maritime operations,” said David J. McGuinty, National Defense Minister.

The Judy LaMarsh is among a fleet of icebreakers that Canada has purchased to serve as interim solutions as existing fleet undergo life extension, repairs and maintenance. The others are Jean Goodwill, Vincent Massey, and Captain Molly Kool. The vessel joins Samuel Risley and Griffon, the other two large ships that have been conducting icebreaking operations during winter on the Great Lakes. Both ships have been in service for decades, with Griffon having been commissioned in 1970 and Samuel Risley in 1985.