Davie Shipyard

The largest and oldest shipyard in Canada says it didn't stand a chance in bidding against a Chinese company to build four new vessels for B.C. Ferries.  

It's the latest criticism levelled at the ferry operator following its decision to purchase the vessels from Chinese-state owned CMI Weihai Shipyards. That criticism and China's punishing new tariffs on Canadian agriculture products have renewed calls for the contract to be cancelled. 

"Unfortunately, the procurement criteria were heavily weighted toward the lowest price, effectively favouring Chinese shipyards," James Davies, CEO of Davie shipyard, wrote in a letter this month.

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MONTREAL, Aug. 21, 2025  - Le Groupe ALMACO, a proudly Canadian subsidiary of ALMACO Group, today announced it has signed a $105M Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with Chantier Davie Canada Inc. (Davie), Canada's premier shipbuilder, for the outfitting of the Polar Max Icebreaker – a flagship project under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and a cornerstone of the Canadian Coast Guard's (CCG) future fleet. The move supports Le Groupe ALMACO and Davie's shared vision of building local capabilities and fostering long-term industrial growth in the Canadian marine sector. Read more.

In a historic milestone for the Canadian shipbuilding industry, Davie today officially began construction of the Polar Max icebreaker, a vessel that, once delivered by 2030, will redefine Canada’s Arctic capabilities. Uniquely, Polar Max will be constructed through an innovative industrial collaboration between Canadian-controlled facilities in Helsinki, Finland and Lévis, Canada. Construction on the Polar Max hull will begin at Davie’s Helsinki Shipyard, which has built 100% of the complex medium to heavy icebreakers delivered from Finland over the past 25 years.

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The owner of Helsinki Shipyard, Davie, announced today an agreement to acquire Enersense Offshore Oy (Enersense Marine and Offshore Unit), specializing in steel and fabrication operations in Pori, Finland.

Securing domestic steel production, Helsinki Shipyard will be Finland’s only specialised shipbuilder with fully integrated capabilities from design to delivery. The acquisition greatly strengthens Helsinki Shipyard’s capabilities to build multiple special-purpose vessels simultaneously with the market-leading delivery times. Steel production in Mäntyluoto supports Davie’s and Helsinki shipyard’s shipbuilding projects both in Finland and North America.

Finalisation of the transaction is subject to closing conditions expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2025.

The acquisition will boost the shipbuilding industry and employment in Pori and Helsinki, while benefiting the Finnish maritime cluster’s economic value as a whole. The aim is to turn the Unit’s operation around and ramp up its capabilities and capacity to tap into the increasing growth potential in the western shipbuilding market.

In March 2025, Helsinki Shipyard signed an agreement with the Canadian government to construct the hull of a heavy icebreaker based on the shipyard’s build-ready Polar Max concept. Steel production for the Polar Max will begin in Pori as soon as possible and construction work on the vessel will commence at Helsinki Shipyard in August.

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Canada’s Davie Shipbuilding, today announced its intention to acquire shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, from Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corporation. The transaction is still subject to financial, legal, and regulatory closing conditions, as well as land lease negotiations with the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees, but, when these complete, Davie expects to finalize the acquisition in summer 2025.

Once the transaction is complete and contracts are secured, Davie plans to invest $1 billion to upgrade and expand capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur. It says the project could generate approximately 4,000 American jobs—around 2,000 directly at Gulf Copper and 2,000 more throughout the supply chain.

To ensure the rapid closure of the transaction, Davie is working closely with organizations and stakeholders in Galveston and Port Arthur, as well as the State of Texas. The deal has also received strong support in Washington, D.C.

James Davies, president and CEO of Davie, said: “We share a vision with Gulf Copper to make Texas a world-class hub for American icebreaker and complex ship production,” said president and CEO James Davies. “Texas is ready to lead a new Golden Age of American shipbuilding—backed by our commitment to delivering ships on time, on budget, and in service of national security priorities.”

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Last week, Davie's extraordinary team completed the dry docking of the MV F.-A.-Gauthier more than two days ahead of schedule for their valued client, the Société des traversiers du Québec. The operation went flawlessly, combining precision, safety, and efficiency — a true team effort!

Watch the video here

The government of Canada confirmed the order for the second of its planned large polar icebreakers with Quebec’s Chantier Davie. The contract for the other large polar icebreaker was confirmed with Seaspan in Vancouver with both vessels being part of the country’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Davie has been contributing to the program for the two icebreakers which were first announced in May 2021, including a contract last fall for design work. Chantier Davie has already played a critical role in supporting Canada’s fleets, receiving over C$2.8 billion (US$1.9 billion) in contracts from 2012 to 2023 for various types of work on ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Navy, and Transport Canada. The orders for the icebreakers come as the National Shipbuilding Strategy is marking its 15th anniversary and government officials highlighting it has contributed to Canadian shipyards delivering eight large vessels and 34 small vessels to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard while supporting federal fleets with critical repair, refit, and maintenance work.

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LÉVIS, Québec – The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, announced this past Saturday, that the Government of Canada has awarded a $3.25-billion contract (before tax) to Chantier Davie Canada Inc. (CDCI) for the construction of 1 of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) future polar icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This marks a significant milestone in strengthening Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and security. 

Through this agreement, Davie will deliver its production-ready heavy icebreaker design called the Polar Max to Canada by 2030. To support the rapid delivery of the ship, Davie will capitalize on the expertise of Helsinki Shipyard, which was acquired by Davie in 2023 with the support of the Québec government. Helsinki Shipyard has built over 50% of all the world’s icebreakers.

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In a recent speech, Davie's CEO stressed the important role of industrial cooperation, including a planned investment in a U.S. shipyard, in addressing the strategic challenges faced in the Arctic. Listen to the speech through the article link above.

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Davie, a Quebec-based shipbuilder, is advancing plans to acquire an American shipbuilder, aiming to expand its operations into the U.S. This move comes amidst discussions of a potential trade war, highlighting Davie's strategic efforts to strengthen its position in the North American shipbuilding industry.

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Davie is proud to announce two strategic partnerships that will drive the transformation of our facility into North America’s largest and most versatile shipbuilding centre, enabling us to fulfill our commitments under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This is related to Davie’s recent decision to modify its construction strategy to better meet NSS requirements and respond to the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) opportunity.

Here are the two press releases published this morning:

• Davie and Pearlson Partner on Québec Facility Upgrade in Support of Canada’s Heavy Icebreaker and Hybrid Ferry Construction | Davie
• Davie and Dinamo Join Forces to Advance Modernization of Québec Shipbuilding Facility | Davie

Davie Shipbuilding (Davie) has successfully completed the biannual maintenance of the Combat Support Ship (CSS) Asterix, marking its second return to the Lévis shipyard, where it was built, since entering service in 2018. From October 7 to November 25, CSS Asterix underwent critical dry-docking, including hull cleaning, painting, valve inspections, and servicing of key systems such as anodic protection and anchor chains. This work ensures the vessel’s ongoing safety, reliability, and operational readiness.

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In an Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Quebec Premier François Legault has urged the Canadian government to accelerate the purchase of “several” new polar icebreakers to defend Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic amid rising Russian and Chinese ambitions and to appease certain concerns expressed by US President Donald Trump. It would also demonstrate to NATO allies that Canada was playing a crucial role in preserving Arctic security while defending its territory in the Arctic and the North West Passage.

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In a speech last week in North Carolina, President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. would soon be ordering 40 big icebreakers for the Coast Guard, and that Canada wants in on the deal. 

Asked about U.S. trade relations with Britain, Trump gave his thoughts on why Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. The U.S. is losing too much money to Canada on trade deficits, he said, and joining the U.S. would mean lower taxes (and no U.S. tariffs) for Canadians.

"Why are we paying all of that money to Canada when, you know, we — we could use it ourselves, right? You know, we ordered — we’re going to order about 40 Coast Guard big icebreakers. Big ones. And all of a sudden, Canada wants a piece of the deal. I say, 'Why are we doing that?'" Trump said. "I mean, I like doing that if they’re a state, but I don’t like doing that if they’re a nation. . . . I would love to see Canada be the 51st state."

The U.S. Coast Guard currently has funds from Congress for a planned three-vessel order for the Polar Security Cutter program, built by Bollinger. The first was approved in late December after years of delay, and the program faces cost overruns. The service's last icebreaker study suggested a need for at least three more medium icebreakers in addition to the current program of record, and its regional icebreaker fleet for the Great Lakes is also advancing in age. 

At present, the service's seagoing fleet has one heavy icebreaker and one medium icebreaker - both aging - and one "bridging strategy" icebreaker, a commercial conversion that will fill gaps until delivery of the first Polar Security Cutter. 

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Officials representing the governments of the United States, Canada, and Finland today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Washington to begin working together to develop world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers through the exchange of knowledge, information, and resources in each of the countries.

The groundbreaking MOU builds off the launch of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact by Prime Minister Trudeau, President Stubb, and President Biden concluded on the margins of the NATO Washington Summit last July.

Posing their signatures on the document were Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s Minister of Public Services and Procurement; Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and Wille Rydman, Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs.

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