Canadian Icebreaker Reaches North Pole in Major Arctic Mission
Canada’s largest icebreaker, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, reached the North Pole on August 16 during its 2026 Arctic mission, Maritime Executive reports. The vessel is collecting scientific data to help Canada map the limits of its continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The icebreaker left St. John’s in early July and stopped in Iceland and Norway before heading north. After the North Pole, it will sail west to the Beaufort Sea for the Joint Ocean Ice Study and later move south to support icebreaking operations.
Built in 1969, the 15,300-ton Louis S. St-Laurent is a Polar 4-class heavy icebreaker with 27,000 shaft horsepower. Canada is keeping the vessel in service while preparing new heavy icebreakers, which are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.
The 2026 Arctic season will run until November. Nine Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers are operating in the region to support scientific work, navigation, search and rescue, and the delivery of essential supplies to Northern communities.
