The Canadian Coast Guard welcomed CCGS Judy LaMarsh into its fleet on 11 September 2026 – the first additional large vessel to join the Great Lakes region in more than thirty years. The vessel traces its origins to a Railotech design developed for the Caspian Sea. The vessel underwent conversion and refit at Newdock St. John’s Dockyard between 2023 and 2025 before entering service based in Prescott, Ontario.
CCGS Judy LaMarsh began life as Mangystau-2, one of five shallow-draught icebreaking tugs designed by Railotech (formerly Aker Arctic) for oil field support in the Caspian Sea. The class combined a 2.5-metre operating draught with more than 50 tonnes of bollard pull – a novel engineering challenge Railotech’s team solved with three azimuthing propulsion units and purpose-shaped hull contours. Read more: Mangystau class – the ultimate shallow-draught icebreakers.
