The new Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Naalak Nappaaluk is now in service. Officials celebrated the vessel’s dedication into Canadian Coast Guard service Tuesday in Halifax.
“This ship stands as a testament to Canadian innovation, skilled shipbuilders, and the National Shipbuilding Strategy’s long-term vision,” said Minister of National Defence David J. McGuinty in a news release.
The vessel is set to dock at its home port at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, N.S., to serve as the new science platform for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
The Naalak Nappaaluk is the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest and largest science vessel, measuring 88 metres long, according to the Canadian Coast Guard.
The vessel was built at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards and was officially accepted by the coast guard in November 2025.
Since it departed from Victoria, B.C., it has transited the Panama Canal.
“The vessel will help Canada better understand changing ocean conditions, including climate change impacts on fish stocks, habitats and marine ecosystems to support sustainable fisheries and oceans management decisions,” reads a news release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The vessel comes with a modular working deck to allow for mission-specific science modules to be swapped in and out, as well as a marine mammal observation station for real-time environmental monitoring.
The vessel is named after Naalak Nappaaluk, an Inuk leader, astronomer, and meteorologist who taught others how to thrive in Arctic environments during his life.
“Not only did he possess life saving knowledge about the land, the sea, the weather and the night sky, he was committed to ensuring that knowledge was preserved for future generations,” said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, in a news release from National Defence.
Nappaaluk’s family members, including his daughter, were on hand to take part in the christening.
“It’s really touching for my heart and I want to say ‘thank you’ to the one that decided, and I hope the ship will help us to know more about the environment, because the environment is not easy to survive,” said Qiallak Nappaaluk.
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