CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker
CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker last position
The last location of CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker is in Great Lakes (coordinates 43.21420 N / -79.20955 W) cruising en route to PORT WELLER. The AIS position was last reported 1 year ago.
Current PositionSpecifications of CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker
Year of build | 1983 / Age: 42 |
Flag state | Canada |
Builder | Burrard-Yarrows Corporation (North Vancouver, Canada) |
Class | Arctic Class 4 Icebreaker |
Building cost | CAD 79 million (USD 97M) |
Engines (power) | Stork-Werkspoor (17.3 MW / 23200 hp) |
Propulsion power | 14.3 MW / 19177 hp |
Speed | 16 kn / 30 km/h / 18 mph |
Length (LOA) | 88 m / 289 ft |
Beam (width) | 18 m / 59 ft |
Gross Tonnage | 4234 gt |
Passengers | 10 |
Crew | 24 |
Sister-ships | Arctic Kalvik (Vladimir Ignatyuk icebreaker) |
Owner | Canada |
Operator | Canadian Coast Guard |
CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker Review
Review of CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker
The 1983-built CCGS Terry Fox is a Canadian Arctic icebreaker. "CCGS" stands for "Canadian Coast Guard Ship." The vessel, also classified as an Anchor Handling Vessel, began operations for the Canadian Coast Guard in 1991 and officially changed ownership from BeauDril Ltd to the CCG in 1993.
Currently, the ship is assigned to and homeported at the CCG Base Southside in St Johns (Newfoundland Island), serving the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Note: CCGS Terry Fox is scheduled for decommissioning in 2032, two years after the newbuild CCGS John G Diefenbaker enters service with the Canadian Coast Guard. Originally slated for retirement in 2020, plans were revised to extend the vessel’s service life through 2032. To support this extension, the ship will undergo an 18-month drydock refit and modernization between 2023 and 2025.
The heavy icebreaker Terry Fox was designed to escort oil tankers through Canadian Arctic waters.
The vessel (IMO number 8127799) is Canada-flagged (MMSI 316122000) and registered in Vancouver BC.
This class of icebreakers is categorized as "heavy tugs" (supply vessels). In addition to escort duties, they support offshore oil rigs in ice-covered waters. The ship's spoon-shaped bow allows her to ride up on packed ice and break it. She is certified as "Arctic Class 4," meaning she can operate in ice up to 1.8 m (6 ft) thick.
CCGS Terry Fox’s operational program includes deployments in the Gulf of St Lawrence during winter and in the eastern Canadian Arctic during summer. Previously, she was stationed at the CCG Base in Dartmouth (Nova Scotia) until 2008. (Note: Earlier plans for decommissioning in 2021–2022 following the commissioning of CCGS John G Diefenbaker have been updated.)
CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker vessel details
The Terry Fox is a sistership of the Russia-owned icebreaker Vladimir Ignatyuk (formerly Arctic Kalvik).
The vessel features one dining room and a sauna. She does not have a swimming pool, elevator, or helipad.
- Max draught: 8.3 m (27 ft)
- Deadweight tonnage (DWT): 2,113 tons
- Displacement: 7,100 tons (7,200 tons when fully loaded)
- Radars: 2x "Raccal", 1x "Furuno 1411 Mk II" (color)
- Range (fuel): 3,560 km (2,210 mi)
- Endurance (supplies): 58 days
- Ice class: Arctic 4
- Icebreaking capacity: 1.2 m (4 ft) at a speed of 3 kn / 5.5 kph / 3.5 mph
- Diesel fuel storage: 1,920 m³ (67,770 ft³)
The powerplant consists of four Stork-Werkspoor diesel engines (model 8TM410) driving two shafts, with a total output of 17.3 MV (23,200 hp). Electrical power is provided by two "Caterpillar 3512" diesel generators and one backup "Caterpillar 3406" generator.
The propulsion system includes two controllable pitch propellers and two thrusters (one bow, one stern).
The vessel is equipped with a tow rope measuring 1.5 km (0.93 mi).
The ship operates with a crew of 24, including 10 officers.
For more information, including service history, see the ship's Wiki section.
Note: In areas with poor AIS coverage, it may be impossible to track the vessel’s current location. For a complete list of icebreakers and icebreaking research ships, refer to the "itinerary" section of our Icebreakers hub, where all fleets and operating states are listed.
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CCGS Terry Fox icebreaker Wiki
The vessel was ordered on December 1, 1979, by BeauDril Ltd, an oil and gas exploration company and a subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. In the 1980s, BeauDril invested in building four icebreaking vessels and one Arctic offshore platform (Kulluk). The company operated in the Beaufort Sea (off Herschel Island) from its home base in Tuktoyaktuk (Northwest Territories, Canada), near the Mackenzie River delta.
Gulf Canada Resources Ltd was founded in 1944 as Canadian Gulf Oil, renamed Gulf Oil Canada in 1969, and again renamed Gulf Canada Resources in 2001. In 1956, it merged with the British American Oil Company (founded in 1906, renamed Gulf Oil Canada Ltd in 1969). In 2001, Gulf Canada Resources was acquired by Conoco Inc (founded in 1875, defunct in 2002) and renamed Conoco Canada Resources Ltd. Since 2012, Conoco, as a gasoline brand, has been owned by Phillips 66 Company (founded in 1927, based in Houston, Texas), which operates fuel stations in the USA and Europe (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, UK).
Construction of the Terry Fox icebreaker began with the keel-laying on June 15, 1982. The ship was launched from drydock on April 23, 1983, and delivered to BeauDril on September 16 of the same year.
The shipbuilder was Burrard Dry Dock Co Ltd, founded in 1906 as Versatile Pacific Shipyards, renamed Burrard Dry Dock in 1925, and acquired in 1994 by Victoria Shipyard, now part of Seaspan Marine Corporation. The company was also part of Burrard-Yarrows Corporation, renamed Versatile Pacific Shipyards Inc in 1985. During both World Wars (1914–18 and 1939–45), Burrard Dry Dock built and refitted hundreds of warships for the British and Canadian Royal Navies.
From 1983 to 1990, Terry Fox supported BeauDril’s drilling platforms in the Beaufort Sea, serving a total of 19 wells. On November 1, 1991, the Canadian Coast Guard signed a 2-year lease with BeauDril, using Terry Fox as a replacement for CCGS John A. MacDonald (built in 1960, scrapped in 1995) while CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent (built in 1969) was in drydock (1988–1993) for extensive refitting and modernization. After the lease ended, the Canadian Coast Guard acquired Terry Fox from Gulf Canada Resources Ltd and officially commissioned her on November 1, 1993.
Terry Fox was among the CCG vessels deployed in June 2023 to search for OceanGate's Titan submersible off the coast of Newfoundland. The submarine imploded on June 18 during an expedition to the RMS Titanic wreck. Onboard were Stockton Rush (OceanGate CEO), Paul-Henri Nargeolet (Titanic expert), George Hamish Livingston Harding (UAE-based British businessman, pilot, and adventurer), Shahzada Dawood (Pakistani-British businessman with Engro Corporation and Dawood Hercules Corporation), and his son Suleman Dawood.