United States Coast Guard Set To Receive Four Finnish-Made Icebreakers

Icebreaking ships don’t get a lot of attention, even though they are critical for ensuring safe navigation in the frozen waters of the Arctic and near Antarctica. The problem for the United States, which has interests in both regions, is that until this year, the United States Coast Guard operated just two aging icebreaker ships. One of these suffered a major electrical fire in August 2020, sidelining the vessel for several months.

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Washington has turned to NATO ally, Finland, to acquire four advanced icebreakers.

It follows the acquisition earlier this year of a former Dutch-flagged oilfield supply ship and icebreaking tug that was recommissioned as the USGC’s newest icebreaking cutter.

The first of the Finnish Arctic Security Cutters could arrive by 2028.

“America has been an Arctic nation for over 150 years, and we’re finally acting like it under President Trump. Our adversaries continue to look to grow their presence in the Arctic, equipping the Coast Guard with Arctic Security Cutters will help reassert American maritime dominance there,” said Secretary Kristi Noem following a meeting with the president and the leaders of Finland in the Oval Office on Thursday. “Revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking capabilities is crucial for our security and prosperity, and today’s agreement is an important step in that direction.”

Readying For a Cold War In The Arctic

The United States Navy operates no icebreakers and instead has relied on the Coast Guard’s USCGC Healy (WAGB-20), the largest and most technologically advanced icebreaker in service with the branch of the DHS, and USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), which until recently was the only active icebreaker in the fleet. That was made worse due to the WAGB-10 being tasked with traveling to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, annually.

WAGB-20 was sidelined after its fire, further highlighting the inadequacies of not having additional icebreakers. By contrast, Russia operates approximately 41 icebreakers, seven of which are nuclear-powered. Moreover, unlike the United States Coast Guard’s vessels, the Russian ships are relatively well armed, some with anti-ship missiles.

The Coast Guard’s “Second Hand” Icebreaker

The United States has sought to address the shortage of icebreakers with the still-in-development Polar Security Cutters, but the first of a planned three is now running behind schedule. The future USCGC Polar Sentinel (PSC-1), is now being built by Bollinger in Louisiana and is scheduled for delivery in 2028.

As a stopgap, in December, the Coast Guard purchased the icebreaking offshore tug Aiviq from Royal Dutch Shell after the company abandoned its plans to conduct drilling operations in the Arctic Ocean. The ship spent the first half of this year undergoing modifications that enhanced its communication and defense capabilities, and it was recommissioned as the USCGC Storis (WAGB-21) at a ceremony in Juneau, Alaska, in August.

Critics have already warned that the former Aiviq isn’t the right ship for the job. In addition to being two-thirds the size of USCGC Healy, it has been described as a “gas guzzler with a troubled history,” having run aground in 2013. That event contributed to the oil company’s decision not to continue its operations in the Arctic.

Finland To Help Break The Ice

Given the sorry state of affairs in clearing the ice, the Trump administration has turned to Finland, a nation that since the Second World War hasn’t had direct access to the Arctic Ocean—having ceded its northern territory to the Soviet Union—but it still understands the difficulty in clearing ice fields.

President Trump met with his Finnish counterparts, President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see Washington purchase the four icebreakers from Helsinki. The deal could be expanded to up to seven additional vessels, which would be built at American shipyards under license.

“Under President’s Trump leadership, this historic agreement will not only accelerate delivery of new Arctic Security Cutters but will also spur future opportunities for domestic shipbuilding,” added Adm. Kevin Lunday, Acting Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. “With a strong icebreaker fleet, the Coast Guard will protect America’s sovereignty and interests against global threats in the Arctic for decades to come.”

Countering China As Much As Russia

It isn’t just Russia that has expanded its presence in the Arctic. Even as China has no territorial claims on the far north, its leadership views the region as a new “crossroads of the world.” That will likely only continue, as the Arctic Ocean is expected to become ice-free during the summer months by 2050.

Last month, the USCGC Healy was dispatched to the region to monitor the movements of two Chinese research ships operating off the coast of Alaska. One was a Chinese-flagged vessel, Ji Di, and the other, the Liberia-flagged Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, with each reported to be approximately 200 miles offshore of Utqiagvik, the most northernmost American town.

Both of the Chinese vessels were also within the “extended continental shelf,” which is designated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as essentially within the United States’ “exclusive economic zone.”

The focus on the Indo-Pacific could expand to the Indo-Pacific-Arctic. Since the region isn’t likely to be completely ice-free every year, icebreakers could be as crucial to the security of the high north as guided-missile destroyers and fast attack submarines.