With support from the Hibernia and Hebron Projects and ACOA, CISMaRT has launched the Canadian Arctic Autonomous Surface Ship (CAASS) project to develop Canada's first autonomous surface ship capable of operating in both Arctic and non-Arctic waters.  

The CAASS project builds on the input and recommendations from the CISMaRT June 2025 Workshop and the findings of the recent CISMaRT report, Updated Canadian Asset Map and Assessment of Global Competitiveness in the Area of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), which outlines the strategic, regulatory, and technical roadmap required to enable autonomous vessel operations in Canadian waters.

The project will begin with a three-year design phase involving a national team from Canadian industry, government, and academia. This phase will include the design, construction, and testing of scale models at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and The Launch, with a strong emphasis on the development and validation of autonomous technologies. Upon completion of the design phase, funding will be sought to construct and evaluate a full-scale 40–50 m prototype that will serve as a national test platform for autonomous surface ship technologies.  

The workshop will advance the project through a combination of plenary and focused breakout sessions. Its objectives are to:  

• Finalize the Concept of Employment (COE), mission requirements, and payload;

• Define the key design parameters for each key design component identified in the project roadmap;

• Establish the national design team, including roles, responsibilities, scope of work, and project milestones; and

• Develop coordinated plans for collaboration, testing, and technology integration across participating organizations.  

The breakout sessions will be organized around the key design components identified in the project roadmap.

Preliminary Workshop Agenda‍ ‍

December 7: Welcome Reception (6:00 p.m.)

December 8-9: Plenary and breakout sessions