Letter to the Editor: Ice-related developments in the Canadian shipping industry

Nov 18, 2025

Share
Share
Tweet

This is a graphical representation of what Seaspan’s polar-class icebreaker will look like, when completed several years from now. Seaspan.

Dear Editor:

I just came across your article titled “Let’s get serious about shipping oil from Hudson Bay“.

You may be interested in some recent ice-related developments in the Canadian shipping industry.

Aker Arctic is a ship design and engineering firm in Finland.  They designed Russia’s commercial LNG fleet operating out of Sabetta.

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/ob/

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/yamalmax/

Their latest variant of LNG tanker for Russia can operate year-round without icebreaker assistance from Sabetta.  It has more propulsion power than Canada’s Polar Icebreaker.

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/arc7-lng-carrier/

In your article, you mention the Hudson Bay typically has 1m thick ice.  The following Aker Arctic design for an Aframax crude oil tanker is designed for continuous ice breaking of 1m ice.  It would likely not need icebreaker escort to operate year round from Hudson Bay.

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/arctic-aframax/

  • 0104 SaskPower SASPO-2907 Hero Video_30sec
    0104 SaskPower SASPO-2907 Hero Video_30sec
  • 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
    0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
  • 0101 VP Energy Road to adventure
    0101 VP Energy Road to adventure
  • 0100 Turnbull Project Manager
    0100 Turnbull Project Manager
  • 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
    0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
  • 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
    0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
  • 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
    0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
  • 0092 Turnbull projects big and small
    0092 Turnbull projects big and small
  • 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
    0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
  • 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
    0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
  • 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
    0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
  • 0076 Latus only
    0076 Latus only
  • 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
    0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
  • 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
    0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
  • 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
    0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
  • 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
    0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
  • 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
  • 0022 Grimes winter hiring
  • 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
  • 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
  • 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
  • 0002 gilliss casing services
    0002 gilliss casing services
  • 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
    9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
  • 9001

 

Due to the Ukraine war, Aker Arctic has stopped doing business with Russia and is now designing ships for Canada, Europe and the US.  Canada literally has access to the company that designed the ships for Russian LNG.

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/polar-icebreaker/

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/multi-purpose-vessel/

Another company in Finland, the Helsinki Shipyard, was purchased by Davie out of Quebec in 2023.  They are currently building one of Canada’s icebreakers.  These Finnish companies have been designing and building Russia and Europe’s commercial ice fleet for years.  And now they are helping Canada.

https://helsinkishipyard.fi/news/

With designs from Aker Arctic, continuous shipping could be a reality from the Hudson Bay, even year-round container traffic from Asia through the Northwest Passage is a possibility.

https://akerarctic.fi/reference/arctic-container-ship-8000-teu/

I hope you find this information interesting.  As a final note, even very intrepid Finnish sailboaters are transiting our northwest passage during the summer!

Alluring Arctic Sailing: Intercepted by the Canadian Federal Arctic Unit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTybfDRIsI

 

Sincerely,

Trevor Wekel

Calgary

  • 0104 SaskPower SASPO-2907 Hero Video_30sec
    0104 SaskPower SASPO-2907 Hero Video_30sec
  • 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
    0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
  • 0101 VP Energy Road to adventure
    0101 VP Energy Road to adventure
  • 0100 Turnbull Project Manager
    0100 Turnbull Project Manager
  • 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
    0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
  • 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
    0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
  • 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
    0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
  • 0092 Turnbull projects big and small
    0092 Turnbull projects big and small
  • 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
    0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
  • 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
    0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
  • 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
    0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
  • 0076 Latus only
    0076 Latus only
  • 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
    0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
  • 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
    0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
  • 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
    0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
  • 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
    0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
  • 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
  • 0022 Grimes winter hiring
  • 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
  • 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
  • 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
  • 0002 gilliss casing services
    0002 gilliss casing services
  • 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
    9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
  • 9001

 

 

Brian Zinchuk: Let’s get serious about shipping oil from Hudson Bay