Published 12:48 pm Wednesday, September 23, 2026 By William Koblensky Varela Local Journalism Intiative Northern News Service Emergency responders and Iqalummiut, including school children, were welcomed aboard the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Captain Molly Kool on Sept. 18, named after the first woman master of a cargo steamship in North America. The tours celebrated Canadian Coast Guard Day while the vessel is stationed in Nunavut’s capital for lower Arctic response. “Right now we’re on standby for search and rescue and icebreaking services in the lower Arctic,” said the icebreaker’s captain, Matthew Wheaton on Sept. 18. “We could get a call at any point to operate out of the lower Arctic. But right now it’s today for Coast Guard Day here in Iqaluit, but it could be a moment’s notice.” There are 21 members of the vessel’s crew, working on 28-day rotations, 12 hours per day. Powered by four main engines — two with 5,000 horsepower and two with 6,000 horsepower — the icebreaker Captain Molly Kool can burn up to 60,000 litres of fuel in one day when breaking up ice and has 1.5 million litres of fuel aboard. “The vessel’s hull form is an ice-breaking hull form, so the framing is stronger, the plating is thicker and the bow is kind of curved,” Wheaton said. “The vessel rides up upon the ice, and its displacement breaks the ice. This particular vessel can break a metre of ice continuously at three knots.” Wheaton has been with the Coast Guard for 27 years and has captained the icebreaker for the past eight years. More coast guard vessels are visiting the Arctic than in previous years, he said. “We love being in the Arctic, providing support for the people of the North,” Wheaton said.
Canadian Coast Guard Day brings Kool opportunity to Iqaluit
