U.S. Signs Contracts With Foreign and Domestic Builders to Finally Launch Long-Delayed Icebreaker Fleet Overhaul The United States Coast Guard has signed contracts with Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions and Louisiana’s Bollinger Shipyards to build six Arctic Security Cutter icebreakers, marking the culmination of a decades-long effort to modernize its aging icebreaker fleet. Two ships will be built in Finland for delivery in 2028. Four more vessels will follow in the United States, with the first domestic cutter due in 2029.
U.S. Coast Guard Starts Construction of First New Heavy Icebreaker in 50 Years A decade in the making the U.S. Coast Guard is set to finally begin work on its first heavy icebreaker in 50 years. Construction is expected to take a minimum of five years, though additional delays could push delivery in the 2030s.
U.S. Polar Icebreaker Faces New Delays and Cost Overruns Report Says The U.S. Polar Security Cutter program continues to face headwinds. Five years after signing a construction contract the vessel continues to exist only on the drawing board with the design still waiting to be finalized. Delivery will now occur no earlier than 2029.
U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaker Faces Delays With No Funding Request for 2025, Aims to Acquire Commercial Icebreaker The U.S. Coast Guard did not request additional funding for the Polar Security Cutter icebreaker program in 2025, while it revises the program schedule hinting at further delays. To secure additional icebreaker capacity in the short-term it earmarked $125 million to acquire a commercial icebreaker, likelyM/V Aiviq.
