CCGS Donjek, the first of two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships for the Canadian Coast Guard was officially launched today in Halifax, marking a major milestone in the CCGs fleet renewal plans.
Irving Shipbuilding provided the following statement on todays launch
“The future CCGS Donjek has successfully been launched. Thank you to all who made this milestone possible. We look forward to delivering the first of two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships to the Canadian Coast Guardlater this year.
Built by Canadians, for Canada.”
Construction of Donjek began in August of 2023, with her delivery to the Coast Guard set for fall of this year, record time. Construction of her sister, CCGS Sermilik, began in July of 2024 with her expected to be delivered next year. These two represent the last of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships to be constructed, marking an end to the near twenty-year program with eight vessels delivered.
The AOPS will act as the CCG's primary conservation and protection enforcement vessels on Canada's east coast. This includes conducting long-range patrols for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), something desperately needed.
Other tasks include Scientific Research, Aids to Navigation, Humanitarian Assistance & Resupply, Environmental Response, Search and Rescue (SAR), and supporting sovereignty operations in Canada’s Arctic.
While visually similar, the CCG AOPS deviate with the inclusion of several unique sensors and equipment. This includes:
Deep Sea Surveying Echo Sounders from Knudsen
Multi-Beam Mapping Echo Sounders and Marine Life Echo Sounders from Kongsberg
Moving Vessel Profiler from AML
A new Scientific Temperature Measurement System from Sea-Bird
Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers from Teledyne
The new Coast Guard Information System and Science Management System from Lockheed Martin
Donjek and Sermilik will provide the Canadian Coast Guard with a much needed pair of vessels able to contribute extensively to both traditional Coast Guard tasks like Scientific Research and Fisheries Enforcement while also providing a platform capable of supporting Caanda’s Maritime Domain Awareness and National Security as set out in Bill C12.
These are AOPS afterall. They maintain the medical facilities, modular capabilities, and the expansive power and cooling margins as their Royal Canadian Navy sisters. I think many are quick to say that the CCG was burdened with these two, it's a common narrative.
Certainly these two helped provide a gap between the end of the RCN AOPS construction and the future River-class, however, I have yet to see or hear anyone in the Coast Guard who is not both excited and relieved to be receiving the AOPS to the fleet.
Nee vessels are always appreciated, especially capable ones. Either way, we are rapidly approaching the end of the AOPS… Its gonna be very weird to not be hearing about the next launch, and despite all the issues, controversies and struggles, I want to take the moment to give a huge congrats to everyone who has worked on the project these many years.
This was a massive undertaking, and it can't be highlighted the struggle it is to build up this kind of thing from near scratch. Entire careers have been spent with these vessels, and for many I know this will truly be the end of major part of their lives.
To all of you who have worked through the AOPS, from the welders to the project managers and everyone in between. You deserve this moment, and you deserve to hold your heads up with pride. You started with almost nothing and have built something special.
That can be said about the NSS in general I guess, but sometimes it deserves to be mentioned, amd people deserve to be praised and given congrats for their hard work. Lord knows many probably don't hear it much. So it's always good to remember the people on the ground, the people who make things like the NSS a reality.
Huzzah for the AOPS! Huzzah!
I actually really think that people don’t give the NSS more credit, it’s done exactly what it set out to do; and it baffles me that we haven’t effectively replicated it to other critical sectors of the economy.
I also think that they should kick off an NSS Phase 2, they’ve got the CDC, Orca Replacement, maybe another two JSS’s, maybe even two GLAAMs, and who knows how many other small/remote craft that’ll need to get built. I also think a big lesson is that they should broaden the NSS to include government customers outside of the security sector; like Transport Canada, DFO, and the Provinces (anyone want to avoid another “ferry going to China” debacle?). There’s lots to build, and the NSS has been a great vehicle, we shouldn’t slow down now that it’s in motion.