CCGS Vincent Massey is an icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) converted to a medium class icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. She was originally built as Tor Viking for Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore AS in 2000 and has also traded under the name Tor Viking II. The vessel was sold to Canada in 2018 and was initially expected to enter service in summer 2020 following a refit.[11] However, the conversion work was delayed and the vessel was delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard in October 2022 and dedicated to service in September 2023.[3][4]
.jpg) As Tor Viking II
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Sweden | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Ordered | 1 October 1998[2] |
| Builder | Havyard Leirvik A.S., Leirvik, Norway[2] |
| Yard number | 282[2] |
| Laid down | 1 January 1999[2] |
| Launched | 20 November 1999[2] |
| Completed | 1 March 2000[2] |
| In service | 2000–2018 |
| Fate | Sold to Canada in 2018 |
 Canada | |
| Name | Vincent Massey |
| Namesake | Charles Vincent Massey |
| Owner | Canadian Coast Guard |
| Acquired | 17 October 2022[3] |
| Commissioned | 11 September 2023[4] |
| Identification | IMO number: 9199622[5] |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics (as built)[2] | |
| Type | Icebreaker, AHTS |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 83.7 m (274 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 18 m (59 ft 1 in) |
| Draught |
|
| Depth | 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in) |
| Ice class | DNV ICE-10 Icebreaker |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | Two ducted controllable pitch propellers |
| Speed |
|
| Crew | 23 |
| General characteristics (after conversion)[7][8][9] | |
| Type | Medium icebreaker (CCG) |
| Ice class | |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) (service) |
| Range | 11,000 nmi (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) |
| Endurance | 42 days |
| Crew | 19 (9 officers, 10 crew) |
| Notes | Otherwise same as above; data for CCGS Captain Molly Kool |
CCGS Vincent Massey has two sister vessels, CCGS Captain Molly Kool and CCGS Jean Goodwill, both of which are converted offshore vessels.
Design
editCCGS Vincent Massey is 83.7 metres (274 ft 7 in) long overall and 77.77 metres (255 ft 2 in) between perpendiculars. Her hull has a beam of 18 metres (59 ft 1 in) and moulded depth of 8.5 metres (27 ft 11 in). At design draught, she draws 6.5 metres (21 ft 4 in) of water, but can be loaded to a maximum draught of 7.22 metres (23 ft 8 in) which corresponds to a displacement of 6,872 tons.[6] Originally built to DNV ice class "ICE-10 Icebreaker", her hull structures and propulsion system will be upgraded to Polar Class 4 level[10] and the vessel will be rated as Arctic Class 2 in Canadian service.[citation needed] Originally she was served by a crew of 13, but this will be increased to 19 (9 officers and 10 crew) when the vessel is commissioned by the Canadian Coast Guard.[2][9]
Vincent Massey has four medium-speed diesel engines geared to two controllable pitch propellers in nozzles. She has two eight-cylinder MaK 8M32 and two six-cylinder MaK 6M32 diesel engines rated at 3,840 kW (5,150 hp) and 2,880 kW (3,860 hp) each. With a total propulsion power of 13,440 kW (18,020 hp), she can achieve a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) in open water and break 1-metre (3.3 ft) ice at a continuous speed of 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). In addition, she has two bow thrusters (one fixed, one retractable and azimuthing) and one transverse stern thruster for maneuvering and dynamic positioning.[2]
Career
editTor Viking and Tor Viking II (2000–2018)
editShe has been employed supplying offshore Arctic petroleum drilling expedition.
From 2003 to 2017, the vessel was named Tor Viking II because the Swedish ship registry does not allow two ships sharing a name.
In late January 2010 the Swedish Maritime Administration called for Vidar Viking and Tor Viking to serve as icebreakers in the Baltic Sea.[12] The vessels were chartered on a contingency basis; Trans Viking's parent company, Transatlantic, is paid a basic flat fee for the vessels to be available, within ten days, without regard to whether they are used. They were used in 2007. The contract expired in 2015.
In October 2015, Tor Viking rescued a French sailor and his cat from the 30-foot (9.1 m) sailboat La Chimere which had lost its rudder and rigging in heavy seas 400 miles (640 km) south of Cold Bay, Alaska. When Tor Viking arrived alongside in 20-foot (6 m) seas, the man jumped over the icebreaker's railing with the cat tucked in his shirt. The rescue was captured on video by a United States Coast Guard Lockheed C-130 Hercules monitoring the operation.[13][14]
In December 2015, Tor Viking became the first ship to transit the Northern Sea Route in December without support from nuclear-powered icebreakers at this time of the year. The vessel entered Bering Strait on 28 November and passed around the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya on 10 December.[15]
CCGS Vincent Massey (2022–present)
editIn 2016, Chantier Davie Canada began offering Tor Viking and her sister ships as a replacement to the ageing Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers under the moniker "Project Resolute". In addition to the three Swedish icebreaking offshore vessels, the offer also included a fourth slightly bigger and more powerful vessel, the US-flagged Aiviq.[16] In August 2018, Chantier Davie Canada was awarded a Can$610 million dollar contract for the acquisition and refitting of the three vessels.[17] On 10 August 2018, Viking Supply Ships announced the sale of its three vessels to Canada for a profit of $274 million.[18][19] Once retrofitted at Davie Shipbuilding, the vessels are expected to remain in service in the Canadian Coast Guard for 15 to 25 years.[20][21]
Tor Viking was named CCGS Vincent Massey after Charles Vincent Massey (1887–1967), a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation and the first one born in Canada.[11] The vessel was dedicated to Canadian service on 11 September 2023.[4]
References
edit
- ^ "Tor Viking (9199646)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Vincent Massey (21779)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Canadian Coast Guard Ship Vincent Massey joins the icebreaker fleet". Canadian Coast Guard. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "The Canadian Coast Guard celebrates the dedication of the CCGS Vincent Massey". Government of Canada. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Tor Viking (9199622)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Tor Viking (9199646)". Sea-web. S&P Global. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "Icebreakers Backgrounder". Canada.ca. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Project RESOLUTE Briefing" (PDF). Davie.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ a b "CCGS Captain Molly Kool". Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Feature: A Canadian Coast Guard upgrade". Drydock. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ a b Pugliese, David (30 April 2019). "Davie awarded refit contract for Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker". Ottawa Citizen. Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^
"TransAtlantic's icebreakers are called in for icebreaking in Baltic Sea". PR Inside. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010.
TransAtlantic has a long-term contract with the SMA, which entails that the vessels must be available during the first quarter of the year as required and within ten days for icebreaking in the Baltic Sea. In return, Transatlantic receives an annual basic fee, regardless of whether icebreaking is conducted or not. If icebreaking is conducted, the fee is increased. The contract expires in 2015, with an option to extend for an additional 15 years.
- ^ "Frenchman leaps from sailboat to waiting ship in south Alaska sea". CBC. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Tor Viking Rescues Mariner and His Cat - Oct. 20, 2015. GCaptain. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Staalesen, Atle (14 December 2015). "First December voyage without icebreaker". The Barents Observer. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Project Resolute" (PDF). Davie Shipbuilding. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "Icebreakers". Government of Canada, Canadian Coast Guard. December 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Sale of ships including write down of certain book values in Q2 and guiding of an expected loss in H2". www.vikingsupply.com. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- ^ Blenkey, Nick (13 August 2018). "Viking Supply confirms sale of icebreaking AHTS trio to Canada". MarineLog. Simmons-Boardman. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^
"Canada Buys Commercial Icebreakers for its Coast Guard". Maritime Executive. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
On Monday, Norwegian harsh-environment OSV operator Viking Supply Ships announced that it has sold three icebreaking anchor handlers to the government of Canada, which will retrofit them for use by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).
- ^
"Canada to Use Interim Icebreakers for Around 20 Years". Maritime Executive. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
The Canadian Press reports that there are no immediate plans to replace the Coast Guard's existing vessels which are on average more than 35 years old.