Page 32: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2026)

SHIPBUILDING | ICEBREAKERS “What we pushed into the U.S. as part of the license is a ? nished design. If they stick with that design and don’t change it, I think they’re going to go well.”

Every vessel is fully modeled in three dimensions before ing where additional expertise already exists.

production begins. Rather than attempting to develop every aspect of icebreak-

The engineering model is directly integrated into the Prod- er engineering independently, Seaspan partnered early with uct Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, creating a complete Finnish specialists.

digital thread from design through manufacturing. Bills of ma- Railo Technology (Railotech) [formerly known as Aker terial, planning information, work packages and installation se- Arctic] is a Finnish organization that brought decades of ex- quencing remain digitally connected throughout construction. perience optimizing icebreaking hull forms.

Supervisors carry tablets directly onto the shop ? oor, allow- Engineering partner Elomatic contributed detailed design ing them to interrogate the model, review work orders, verify knowledge while simultaneously serving as a training ground dimensions and immediately resolve engineering questions for Canadian engineers.

without relying solely on traditional drawings. Seaspan embedded engineers within Finnish design teams,

Dimensional control employs laser surveying and total sta- allowing them to absorb practical experience before returning tion technology to ensure individual blocks ? t precisely dur- to Vancouver.

ing assembly. Today, those engineers form the core of Seaspan’s internal

Carr o? ered a recent example involving equipment sup- icebreaker expertise while Finnish personnel continue sup- plied by Babcock for Canada’s Joint Support Ship program. porting construction activities in Canada.

Rather than simply accepting manufacturing deviations, the That technology transfer may prove one of the program’s engineering team veri? ed the installation using digital survey most enduring bene? ts.

data before proceeding.

That same attention to detail becomes exponentially more

BUILDING COMMONALITY important on icebreakers, where massive hull structures,

INTO THE FLEET heavy scantlings and tightly integrated propulsion systems

Carr also emphasized the importance of one particular engi- leave little room for accumulated error.

neering objective: standardization.

While engines and mission-speci? c systems naturally di? er

LEARNING FROM FINLAND between Canada’s Polar Icebreaker and Multi-Purpose Icebreak-

Another strength of the Seaspan approach lies in recogniz- er designs, Seaspan deliberately sought commonality wherever 32 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • August 2026

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