The US Department of Homeland Security has announced a $3.5 billion contract with the Davie Defense shipyard for the supply of five patrol icebreakers for the needs of the Coast Guard in the Arctic.
This is the first of three contracts for the construction of Arctic Security Cutter class icebreakers. The remaining two contracts will be signed in the near future. Delivery of the first vessel under this contract is scheduled for 2028, and all five units by February 2035.
President Donald Trump previously stated that the US has ordered 11 icebreakers from Finland, four of which will be built in Finnish shipyards, and the rest domestically.
Trump has repeatedly stressed that the US is seriously lagging behind Russia in terms of its icebreaking fleet. Currently, the Coast Guard operates two icebreakers, Polar Star and Healy. The Russian Arctic Fleet has 42 icebreakers, including eight nuclear-powered and 34 diesel-electric vessels.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
