CCGS Vincent Massey is long overall and between perpendiculars. Her hull has a beam of and moulded depth of . At design draught, she draws of water, but can be loaded to a maximum draught of which corresponds to a displacement of 6,872tons. Originally built to DNV ice class "ICE-10 Icebreaker", her hull structures and propulsion system will be upgraded to Polar Class 4 level and the vessel will be rated as Arctic Class 2 in Canadian service. Originally she was served by a crew of 23, but this will be reduced to 19 (9 officers and 10 crew) when the vessel is commissioned by the Canadian Coast Guard.
