Icebreaking, Escort and
 Flood Control

The Icebreaking, Escort and Flood Control Service is responsible for ensuring the safety and efficiency of the marine traffic in the ice-infested waters, and ensuring the control of flooding that may result from ice conditions in flood- sensitive zones.

To fulfill its mandate, the Quebec Region Icebreaking, Escort and Flood Control Service provides:

- Route assistance
- Ice routing and information services;
- Flood control and ice management;
- Harbour break-out on request and according to available resources

• Geographical coverage
• Main activities
• Marine resources
• Ice information

Geographical Coverage

Based on an interregional agreement, and taking into account, a zonal approach, Quebec Region the Icebreaking, Escort and Flood Control Service is responsible for the provision of icebreaking and vessel escort services between Montréal and Cabot Strait.

Main Activities

In the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Icebreaking, Escort and Flood control Service's main activities consist in ice-route assignment in order to facilitate the transit of marine traffic in ice-infested waters, and the escort of commercial vessels experiencing transit difficulties due to ice conditions.

In the St. Lawrence River, between Quebec and Montréal, the Icebreaking Service's main activities consist in flood contol, which it does by ensuring a free movement of the ice, and in the prevention of  ice-jam formation, particularly at the river's more pronounced curves and in the vicinity of  bridges spanning it.

The ice conditions along the St. Lawrence River are  monitored largely through the use of remote-controlled cameras located in strategic locations.

Daily aerial ice patrols by helicopter result in the production of ice charts for use by mariners and the marine community.

Marine Resources

To provide the above services, the Quebec Region has three Medium/River icebreakers Class T-1200, one Light Icebreaker - Major Navaids Tender  Class T-1100, one Ice-Strengthened Medium Navaids Tender Class T-1000; and two Air Cushion Vehicles used mainly for flood control and prevention in the mouth of tributary rivers.

These resources may, in some cases, be assigned to icebreaking operations in Newfoundland, Maritimes or Central and Arctic regions, based on  requirements and availability. In the same manner, the marine resourses of other regions may be assigned to Quebec Region icebreaking operations.

Ice information

The Icebreaking Service provides the marine community and the public with operational information concerning ice conditions, such as ice charts,
recommended ice routes and other information necessary for a safe and efficient traffic transit in ice-infested waters.

The Icebreaking Service also uses an ice conditions forecast model , used in support vessel routing and developped by the Ocean Sciences Directorate of Maurice Lamontagne Institute - Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and based on entry data provided by the Icebreaking, Escort and Flood Control Service of the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Ice Service - Environnement Canada and the Canadian Meteorological Center . This model provides daily ice condition forecasts for a period of 48 hours, between Les Escoumins and Cabot Strait.

For further information or any questions concerning the Icebreaking Service, consult the Icebreaking Program section of the national Canadian Coast Guard website www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca  or contact:

Steven Neatt

Superintendent Icebreaking, Escort 
and Flood control
101, boulevard Champlain
Québec, Québec
Canada G1K 7Y7

Telephone: (418) 648-5620
Fax: (418) 649-7640
neatts@dfo-mpo.gc.ca