Vessel
Hull assembly has begun in Helsinki for Polar Max, the Canadian icebreaker commissioned by the Government of Canada. The vessel started construction in August 2025 and will have its completed hull finished at Davie Shipbuilding’s yard in Québec in 2030.
Helsinki Shipyard will be one of the main partners of the Lux Helsinki light art festival this winter, using the event to spotlight the Polar Max icebreaker now under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard. The 2026 festival’s largest artwork, Rooms of Light, will feature the shipyard’s Hietalahti cranes, while steel block construction on Polar Max began in the summer in Helsinki and at Davie’s SATA Shipbuilding in the autumn.
ABB has secured a contract to supply the complete electric power and propulsion package for Polar Max, the new 22,800-tonne icebreaker being built for the Canadian Coast Guard. The vessel is being constructed by Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec and is expected to enter service by 2030.
Davie Shipbuilding has appointed Mika Heiskanen as CEO for its Finland operations, covering Helsinki Shipyard and the recently acquired SATA Shipbuilding in Pori. Heiskanen will coordinate the two yards in Finland alongside managing directors Kim Salmi and Niko Suomela. Davie said the direct workforce of its Finland companies is expected to rise by at least 650 employees over the next two years.