Canadian Coast Guard begins 2026 Arctic Summer Season

June 23, 2026 – Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – National Defence / Canadian Coast Guard

The Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) annual Arctic season is now underway. Through its presence and operations, the CCG’s Arctic operations continue to demonstrate and reinforce Canada’s long-standing, well-established sovereignty and security in the North.

Nine CCG icebreakers will deploy and operate in the Arctic from June to November 2026 to

support Northern communities, carry out services, and support Government of Canada Arctic missions.

Canada’s icebreakers are among the most capable and powerful in the world, and our icebreaking services are crucial to Northern community resupply, enabling the safe delivery of essential goods and materials across the Arctic. All CCG vessels are available to respond to search and rescue, and marine pollution incidents, if required. This year, CCG icebreakers are deploying on the following dates:

• June 10 – Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Jean Goodwill departed Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, for icebreaking, search and rescue coverage, and support for Operation Pacer Goose – the annual resupply of U.S. Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. 
• June 10 – CCGS Des Groseilliers departed Québec City, Québec, for icebreaking, aids to navigation maintenance work, science support, fuel cache refueling operations, and joint exercising with Canadian Armed Forces partners.
• June 17 – CCGS Vincent Massey departed Québec City, Québec, for icebreaking and search and rescue coverage.
• July 9 – CCGS Amundsen departs Québec City, Québec, for the 2026 Amundsen Science mission.
• July 16 – CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier departs Dutch Harbour, Alaska (following its deployment in Operation North Pacific Guard), for icebreaking, science support, aids to navigation work in the Western Arctic, and fuel cache refueling operations. 
• August 4 – CCGS Pierre Radisson departs Québec City, Québec, for icebreaking, science support, and joint exercising with Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) partners.
• August 6 – CCGS Henry Larsen departs St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, for icebreaking, science support, and fuel cache refueling operations.
• September 9 – CCGS Captain Molly Kool departs St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, for icebreaking and search and rescue coverage.
• September 18 – CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent departs Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, to support the Joint Ocean Ice Study in the Beaufort Sea and provide icebreaking support in the High and Low Arctic areas. It will be the last vessel operating in the Arctic this season, until the end of November 2026.

Prior to its Arctic operations, the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent – Canada’s largest and most powerful icebreaker – will support the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, helping to map Canada’s extended continental shelf in the High Arctic, where it will transit to, and fly the Canadian flag at the North Pole in late July.

 The CCG’s Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) centre in Iqaluit, Nunavut, opened on May 15, 2026. In the Arctic, MCTS plays a crucial role in supporting safe navigation in the region and contributing to Canada’s maritime domain awareness through vessel traffic monitoring. Those working in the MCTS are the eyes and ears of the CCG in the Arctic. 

The CCG will train with Arctic partners throughout the summer season. This includes training exercises with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, Northern and Arctic nation international partners, and the CAF, through participation in Operation NANOOK.

Quick facts

• In the Northwest Territories, the CCG’s two specialized buoy tenders, the CCGS Dumit and CCGS Eckaloo, will carry out seasonal buoy tending work on Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River, supporting commercial shipping and community resupply. The CCGS Dumit and CCGS Eckaloo are designed to access shallow areas in the river to place, reposition, and maintain navigational buoys. Both vessels are based in Hay River, Northwest Territories.

• The CCG’s icebreaking program maintains safe and efficient navigation in Arctic waters through icebreaking support to the shipping industry and partners, and by providing daily updates on ice conditions and operations in the North. CCG icebreakers and their dedicated crews are ready to assist the shipping industry during the annual Arctic resupply.

• The CCG is working with Inuit, Métis, and First Nation partners to deliver services and programs in the North, by the North, and for the North.