The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis is shown here transitioning from the Bollinger Mississippi Shipyard to the city fuel pier on June 1, 2025. The Storis is the Coast Guard’s first new polar icebreaker acquisition in 25 years and will expand U.S. operational presence in the Arctic Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard)
The Coast Guard’s new commercial icebreaker is en route to the West Coast ahead of its August commissioning in Alaska, marking a milestone in the effort to rebuild U.S. defenses in the Arctic Region.
The Coast Guard Cutter Storis, formerly a commercial tow supply vessel, left this week from Pascagoula, Miss., setting sail on its maiden voyage, the service said Wednesday. The icebreaker’s voyage means the Coast Guard is one step closer to boosting its depleted and aging polar fleet.
The Storis, which has already been painted in Coast Guard colors, is crewed by a hybrid civilian-Coast Guard team. The ship is led by Coast Guard Capt. Keith Ropella, former commander of the service’s only heavy icebreaker.
“As the United States’ third polar icebreaker, Storis will provide near-term operational presence and support national security as a bridging strategy until the full complement of [icebreakers are] delivered,” the Coast Guard said.
The Storis is slated to begin patrolling Arctic waters in 2026 — a job the ship will do until the service catches up on its plan to build three new heavy icebreakers. The icebreakers, which will be the new Polar Security Cutter class, are six years behind schedule.
The Storis’ maiden voyage comes about five months after President Donald Trump said the Coast Guard would buy 40 big icebreakers during his administration.
“In support of the president’s intent to acquire at least 40 new icebreakers, the Coast Guard is working to replace, modernize and grow its aging fleet of icebreakers,” the service said Wednesday.
The Storis is the first polar icebreaker that the Coast Guard has acquired in more than 25 years. The service only has two other such icebreakers — the 48-year-old heavy icebreaker Polar Star and the 27-year-old medium icebreaker Healy. Polar icebreakers, such as the Polar Star, are specifically designed to cut through ice in the Arctic, while the Healy was designed to serve as a research or support vessel in the region. The service said it needs at least eight polar icebreakers to meet the operational needs in the polar regions.
Aside from the Polar Star, Healy and Storis, the Coast Guard has 21 domestic icebreakers and 16 ice-capable buoy tenders. Domestic icebreakers are smaller vessels designed to clear channels for commercial shipping during winter months in waterways such as the Great Lakes. Buoy tenders are capable of breaking up thin layers of ice.
There is an increased demand for Arctic security using icebreakers because climate change has opened new sea lanes in the region. Russia and China have in recent months operated joint naval exercises in the Bering Sea near Alaska.
The Coast Guard has reported Russia has 55 icebreakers, including seven heavy icebreakers capable of slicing through ice up to 2 meters in thickness. Some of the icebreakers are nuclear-powered, allowing them to operate without refueling. China has declared itself a “near-Arctic” nation and has fast-tracked icebreaker construction. It has four icebreakers, with a fifth due to launch in 2025. The government of President Xi Jinping has cut the construction time for new icebreakers to 30 months.
The Coast Guard is working to expedite its icebreaker acquisition process through its new Force Design 2028. The initiative will work to reform how the Coast Guard buys new ships, with the intention of streamlining the purchase of vessels and new technology.
The Storis will temporarily stay in Seattle, where the Polar Star and the Healy are homeported. The Storis will eventually be homeported in Juneau, Alaska, but necessary shore infrastructure improvements must be completed first.
The Storis’ condition and capabilities will be continually evaluated, the Coast Guard said.
