Canadian shipyard in talks to buy US shipbuilder amid trade war talk

MILAN — Davie, a Quebec shipbuilder set to play a key role in a joint icebreaker production agreement between Canada, the United States and Finland, is moving forward with plans to expand its operations south of the border despite a looming trade war threatening the continent.

As part of the expansion, the Canada-based multinational shipbuilder has set out to acquire an American shipyard, which would secure an initial and important footprint in the U.S. for the company.

“Right now it’s business as usual with our U.S. entry plans. … We are also making progress with the acquisition of an established U.S. shipbuilder – if we are successful, we plan to upgrade as we are at the Quebec site,” Davie spokesman Paul Barrett told Defense News.

Davie has envisioned transforming its Lévis, Quebec, shipyard into North America’s largest, most versatile shipbuilding center.

In 2024, it signed two contracts to this end, one with the American firm Pearlson & Pearlson Inc., and another with the Canadian construction leader Dinamo, to modernize the site in order to deliver seven heavy icebreakers and two hybrid ferries under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

The project is supported by nearly CAD $519 million in investments from the Quebec government and will deliver in part six new buildings and machinery, a new assembly hall and launch pad, and waterfront upgrades.

Davie has positioned itself as a crucial industry partner in the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact. The agreement, signed last summer, seeks to bring together Finnish, Canadian and U.S. know-how, resources and expertise to build best-in-class ice boats capable of operating year-round in the Arctic.

Recent remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that Canada and Greenland could become American states as well as the imposition of 25% tariffs on Canadian imports – tabled, for now – have casted doubts on the future of partnerships like the ICE Pact.

However, both the Canadian and Finnish government have told Defense News that the tense climate witnessed as of late between the two neighboring countries has not compromised cooperation amongst the parties involved.

“We continue implementing it as planned and look forward to cooperating with our allies and partners, the U.S. and Canada – we believe all parties are committed to Ice Pact efforts, as there is a need to strengthen the capabilities,” Reko-Antti Suojanen, senior ministerial adviser and ICE Pact coordinator at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, said.

All three countries are in relatively urgent need of bolstering their icebreaker fleets, as many are outdated or will soon be, while China and Russia have ramped up their shipbuilding efforts.

“The West’s competitors and adversaries are rapidly expanding Arctic ice breaking fleets to exert control in the region – despite ambitious shipbuilding programs, the U.S. and its allies remain far behind,” Barrett, the Davie spokesman, said.

Through the acquisition of Helsinki Shipyard in 2023, Davie gained access to Finland’s leading icebreaker intellectual property, having produced much of the world’s ice boat fleet.

It is not yet clear to what extent the knowledge will be shared with the U.S. under the agreement. Barrett noted that Davie company expects to play a lead role in discussions on how their IP will be properly protected and applied within this framework.

Once the Canadian manufacturer finalizes the purchase of the American shipbuilder, which the company declined to name, it will become the only one in the ICE Pact with a footprint in all three member nations.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——魁北克造船厂戴维公司将在加拿大、美国和芬兰之间的联合破冰船生产协议中发挥关键作用，尽管一场迫在眉睫的贸易战威胁着整个北美大陆，该公司仍在推进其在边境以南扩大业务的计划。

作为扩张计划的一部分，这家总部位于加拿大的跨国造船企业着手收购一家美国造船厂，这将为该公司在美国建立最初且重要的业务基础。

“目前，我们进军美国市场的计划一切照常进行。……我们也在收购一家成熟的美国造船厂方面取得了进展——如果收购成功，我们计划像在魁北克造船厂那样对其进行升级改造，”戴维造船厂发言人保罗·巴雷特告诉《防务新闻》。

Davie 设想将其位于魁北克省莱维斯的造船厂改造成北美最大、用途最广泛的造船中心。

2024 年，该公司为此签署了两份合同，一份与美国 Pearlson & Pearlson Inc. 公司签订，另一份与加拿大建筑业领军企业 Dinamo 公司签订，旨在对该场地进行现代化改造，以便根据加拿大国家造船战略交付七艘重型破冰船和两艘混合动力渡轮。

该项目得到了魁北克省政府近 5.19 亿加元的投资支持，将分阶段交付六座新建筑和机械设备、一个新的装配大厅和发射台，以及滨水区升级改造。

戴维公司已将自身定位为三方破冰船合作计划（ICE Pact）的关键行业合作伙伴。该协议于去年夏天签署，旨在汇集芬兰、加拿大和美国的专业知识、资源和技能，建造能够在北极全年作业的一流破冰船。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普最近发表的言论暗示加拿大和格陵兰岛可能成为美国的一个州，以及对加拿大进口商品征收 25% 的关税（目前已搁置），都使人们对 ICE 条约等伙伴关系的未来产生了怀疑。

然而，加拿大和芬兰政府都向《防务新闻》表示，最近两国之间出现的紧张局势并没有损害相关各方之间的合作。

芬兰经济事务和就业部高级部长顾问兼ICE Pact协调员雷科-安蒂·苏奥亚宁表示：“我们将继续按计划实施该计划，并期待与我们的盟友和伙伴美国和加拿大合作——我们相信各方都致力于ICE Pact的努力，因为有必要加强相关能力。”

这三个国家都迫切需要加强其破冰船队，因为许多破冰船已经过时或即将过时，而中国和俄罗斯已经加大了造船力度。

“西方的竞争对手和敌对势力正在迅速扩大北极破冰船队，以控制该地区——尽管美国及其盟友制定了雄心勃勃的造船计划，但仍然远远落后，”戴维发言人巴雷特说。

2023 年，戴维通过收购赫尔辛基造船厂获得了芬兰领先的破冰船知识产权，该船厂生产了世界上大部分的破冰船。

目前尚不清楚根据该协议，相关知识将在多大程度上与美国共享。巴雷特指出，戴维公司希望在如何在此框架内妥善保护和应用其知识产权的讨论中发挥主导作用。

一旦这家加拿大制造商完成对这家美国造船厂的收购（该公司拒绝透露该造船厂的名称），它将成为ICE Pact中唯一一家在所有三个成员国都有业务的公司。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。