Rejuvenation of the Amundsen

2013-07-02

Marc Thibault

In June 2012, after 33 years of loyal service, the CCGS Amundsen was overhauled. Major engine repairs were required. The ship's six main engines were replaced with new identical engines of the same series, and its three electrical generators were replaced with a new class of generators.

This modernization improves the ship's mechanical reliability and environmental performance through better fuel economy and lower emission of pollutants, thereby ensuring that she can be used for several more years.

Modernizing the Amundsen took several months of preparation and work. After major engine problems were discovered in December 2011, the Canadian Coast Guard took action to have the ship's engines replaced. The process was not without significant challenges, as solutions had to be found quickly to ensure that the ship would be ready for the scientific mission in 2013.

The challenges were successfully overcome and the ship will be ready to head back to sea in late July 2013 for her scientific operations in the Canadian Arctic. She will begin her mission between the area west of Greenland and Ellesmere Island, and will then make her way to the Beaufort Sea. She is expected to return in October 2013.

A first-rate scientific research infrastructure

In 2002 and 2003, the CCGS Amundsen underwent a transformation to be converted into a state-of-the-art scientific research icebreaker. She has since played a major role in revitalizing science in the Arctic, particularly in relation to climate change, by giving Canadian researchers and their international collaborators unprecedented access to the Arctic Ocean.