Enhancing Arctic Sovereignty

The following article was submitted by Vard Marine and was authored by one of their previous employees, Andrew Kendrick, who served as the company’s Vice President of Operations from 2014 until 2021. It is with great sadness that we share that Mr. Kendrick has since passed away due to illness. We at CDR extend our sympathy and condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. May he rest in peace.

There is increasing concern in Canada that sovereignty, security, and safety in the Arctic are under threat from assertive actions by Russia and China. Meanwhile, Canada’s fleet of heavy icebreakers is down to one — the 55 year-old CCGS Louis St. Laurent — and it seems unlikely that Canada will see a new heavy polar icebreaker in service until 2030 at the earliest.

The Arctic is huge, and Canada’s Arctic Archipelago, and the Northwest Passage (NWP) routes through the Archipelago, cover an enormous area — nearly 1.5 million square kilometres. Distances are even longer from Canada’s naval bases in Halifax and Victoria to critical NWP choke points. The Royal Canadian Navy has invested over $100 million in a still-incomplete naval facility in Nanisivik, but this will have very limited capability and is in a less-than-ideal location for sea (and road and air) access and for proximity to NWP sea routes.

In July 2024, Canada, the US and Finland announced an “ICE Pact” partnership, which is intended to strengthen the ice-capable shipbuilding capacities of the three countries involved and promote collaborative research and development and innovation. Canada has owned and operated the world’s second largest icebreaker fleet for nearly seven decades, with the vast majority of those ships designed and built right here at home. Accordingly, Canadian industry has a lot to offer the ICE Pact collaboration if it can indeed be leveraged to offer broad-based benefit across the Canadian marine sector.

Further, at this very moment, Canada does have one existing program that is delivering vessels that have significant capacity for defence and security, and which also have considerable potential for upgrades to make them more formidable components of Canada and NATO’s Northern flank. The Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV), of which five have now been delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy, are a major but under-appreciated asset. This article will outline the AOPV program, describe the current capabilities of the vessels, suggest how these capabilities could be enhanced to address the changing operational requirements, and will introduce some additional measures that would complement the ships themselves.

THE AOPV PROGRAM

The AOPV program was initiated in 2007, in a very different geopolitical environment globally, especially as it relates to the Arctic. The Arctic Council had been formed in 1996 and was undertaking a wide range of collaborative programs involving all the circumpolar states, including Russia. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) was working on the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), and Canada and Russia undertook several joint projects to support the development of the technical requirements. At the time, there was considerable talk about a demilitarized Arctic.

There was therefore no compelling reason to make the AOPV concept a front-line combatant warship, and so it was envisaged and designed as an auxiliary vessel, largely to commercial standards. The design intent was to allow the Canadian Navy to project sovereignty in the Arctic and to conduct missions that might be beyond the traditional mandate of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), while contributing to joint missions such as search and rescue, environmental response, Arctic science and support to Northern communities.

The original AOPV design was completed before the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and construction almost followed the old procurement process. However, the decision was taken to wrap AOPV into NSS and to package it with the “combatant” stream to balance the two main work packages at the time. Irving Shipbuilding was the successful bidder for the combat package and is now contracted to build six vessels for the Canadian Navy and a further two variants for the Canadian Coast Guard given the differing mandates, mission sets and regulatory aspects.

The AOPV is designed to be in the Arctic when and where most other ships are also in the Arctic, which effectively means the summer and early autumn seasons and in the waters of the Arctic Archipelago. There is very little shipping in the Canadian Arctic, or the Arctic as a whole, in winter or spring. Exceptions include some of the operations of Fednav to northern Labrador and Quebec to transport nickel, and in Russian waters with the advent of high ice-class LNG tankers supporting the Yamal LNG projects.

The AOPV is an effective icebreaking vessel, though it is not a traditional icebreaker such as those operated by the CCG. Its design is intended to allow it to safely access most waters in the Canadian Arctic and to make relatively high-speed transits for interdiction and search and rescue (SAR) missions without risking major damage. The main ice class of PC 5 is supplemented by additional strengthening in hull areas at risk of ice damage in such missions. The first of class HMCS Harry DeWolf transited the Northwest Passage as part of her circumnavigation of North America in 2021, and in subsequent years she and her sister ships have successfully completed numerous Arctic missions. The ship also carries a specific Class notation as a “patrol icebreaker” and as such is considered, and classed, as an icebreaking vessel.

“We congratulate Irving Shipbuilding on the execution of the AOPV program to date, and we take great pride in the fact that the RCN is flying the flag and achieving mission success with these new vessels,” said Derek Buxton, Vice President Business Development at Vard Marine. “As naval architects you always want to see the ships you design in action and serving their end-user well. The AOPV is a truly successful NSS program with a ship designed right here at home.”

The AOPV’s installed power is sufficient to break at least 1 metre of strong winter ice, and greater thicknesses in summer when the ice is much weaker. Some commentators have referred to AOPV as a “slushbreaker”, which is very misleading. The AOPV can break more ice than most of the CCG’s existing fleet, though it is certainly not a heavy icebreaker. It is not designed for escort functions, though it could perform these if needed.

ENHANCING THE AOPV’s FIREPOWER

The Navy’s current AOPVs have limited weapons capability and an unclassified version of the CMS 330 Combat Management System, which is derived from the CMS 330 resident on the Halifax class frigates.

The AOPV 25 mm main gun is adequate for constabulary duties but not for the deterrence or prosecution of any significant military event in Arctic waters. Fortunately, this could be upgraded to a larger caliber weapon in the same location, with magazine and ammunition handling arrangements being the biggest constraints.

The AOPV is a relatively large vessel, and though its open deck space is limited by other systems and equipment and by the need for winterization protection, there is potential to install “bolt-on” missile systems for self-defence and/or for combat missions. The AOPV is designed for a variety of modular and containerized mission systems in the aft part of the ship.

The AOPV hangar can accommodate a CH-148 Cyclone, or a range of smaller helicopters and autonomous vehicles (drones). Current capability is limited by the fact that a haul-down system was not installed as part of the original build. Also, spaces would need to be rearranged to provide better magazine facilities and hangar/flight deck access. This would be relatively simple to accomplish, especially as there are space, weight and power provisions for the haul-down system.

For all of these potential upgrades, the need for winterization measures to assure safe and effective operability should not be underestimated. In particular, Arctic UAVs/drones will pose challenges requiring development effort and operational and maintenance training. The Canadian Forces will need to address these challenges in any case, and the AOPV can be an excellent platform for this. Special provisions for winterization of missile systems would need to be considered to reduce risks of being rendered unserviceable due to icing.

POTENTIAL FOR GREATER
DEFENCE & SOVEREIGNTY

Canada is coming under increasing pressure to increase its spending commitments towards NATO, to meet or exceed the 2% target for all countries. This is only likely to increase in the coming years. The enhanced AOPV program could be used to boost Canada’s defence funding in areas that contribute directly to our other national interests under the focus set out in “Our North, Strong and Free”, the 2024 update to Canada’s defence policy.

Many key objectives of the policy, including investment in specialized maritime sensors, increasing helicopter capability, and building new Northern Support Hubs, tie directly into the program outlined above. This will also help with building Canadian competencies in the broader sphere of Arctic technologies and operations, with huge potential domestic and international spin-offs. These will extend from the military into the civilian sectors — for example, advanced Arctic-capable communications and navigation systems will help both. Overall investments in Arctic infrastructure will reduce perceived risks and costs, even where the benefits seem indirect.

The AOPV program has already delivered new capacity to the Canadian Navy and will make a substantial contribution to the fulfilment of Canada’s defence policy over the coming years. Measures which could leverage the impact of the AOPV include a combination of design enhancements, investments in support infrastructure, and increased cooperation with NATO partners. This will help Canada and allies respond to the increasing threats to our northern interests from Russia and China, while building capabilities that will help not only our security but also our economic interests.

“We are delighted with the success of the AOPV program,” said Buxton. “The NSS has created a sovereign capability with these ships being designed at home, which is a vitally important first step in that sovereign shipbuilding value chain. No other ship designer understands the operational context right here at home as well as Vard Marine, because the ice regimes encountered in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago vary substantially from those in other parts of the Arctic and the world.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Kendrick obtained a Masters’ Degree in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture from University College London, under the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors training program. He moved to Canada in 1981 to work on the Canadian Frigate Program but soon gravitated into icebreaker design and associated research and development, initially with German and Milne Inc. and subsequently with Fleet Technology Ltd (BMT FTL). On behalf of the government of Canada he managed field test programs in the Arctic and joint research programs with organizations including the Krylov Institute in Russia in support of the development of the International Maritime Organization Polar Code and the International Association of Classification Societies Polar Class Rules. He helped to develop risk management approaches to polar shipping, covering both safety and environmental concerns. Andrew set up the Ottawa office of Vard Marine Inc in 2011 and grew it into a key component of the Vard Marine organization, responsible for ship design, marine consulting, and applied research.

Andrew Kendrick is a Guest Contributor