Canadian Coast Guard celebrates the launch of the new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel
August 17, 2024
Vancouver, British Columbia – The Canadian Coast Guard serves Canadians every day by saving lives, protecting the environment, and supporting the safe movement of goods in our waterways. The renewal of its fleet ensures Canadian Coast Guard personnel can continue to carry out their important work for years to come, while supporting innovation and creating new shipbuilding jobs from coast to coast to coast.
Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, and the Honourable Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, were at Vancouver Shipyards in British Columbia to celebrate the launch of the new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel. A launch ceremony represents the first time a newly constructed vessel is lowered into the water.
As part of the event, Minister Qualtrough also announced the name of the new Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel: the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Naalak Nappaaluk. Naalak Nappaaluk was a respected Inuk Elder from Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik, a village of 800 along Quebec’s northernmost tip. Mr. Nappaaluk was a renowned leader, harvester, teacher, consultant, navigator, astronomer, and meteorologist. As a knowledge keeper, he was committed to protecting and promoting Inuit language and culture and did so his entire life by teaching others how to survive and thrive in his Arctic homeland. The vessel’s name, chosen in consultation with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, was a welcome opportunity to work with Inuit and to advance our commitment to pave a relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership.
Today’s ceremony and name unveiling mark another major milestone in the construction of the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel. The CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is a floating laboratory. As the Canadian Coast Guard’s largest dedicated science vessel, the new ship will provide increased capability and capacity to support ocean science missions on Canada’s east coast. It will accommodate up to 34 crew and 26 Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists, and will be stationed at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is equipped with a deck that can swap out different equipment modules based on mission requirements, a marine mammal observation station, an ocean sampling room, multiple labs, and state-of-the-art equipment for collecting and analyzing information to better understand our ocean ecosystems. The vessel can also support search and rescue operations and environmental response, when needed.
The CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk will support the continued delivery of critical oceanographic science, which will help the Government of Canada to tackle the most pressing ocean issues, such as climate change. The data and samples collected onboard this vessel will also support Canada’s domestic and international commitments to ensure that our oceans are sustainably managed.
The CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk is a key deliverable for the Canadian Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, which is creating sustainable jobs in Canada’s shipbuilding industry and marine sector. Contracts under the National Shipbuilding Strategy are estimated to have contributed approximately $30 billion ($2.3 billion annually) to Canada’s gross domestic product, and created or maintained over 20,400 jobs annually between 2012 and 2024.