The Coast Guard’s three icebreakers at Coast Guard Base Seattle in October 2025: USCGC Storis, foreground, USCGS Healy, left, USCGC Polar Star. (Christopher Butters/U.S. Coast Guard)
Shipyards in Louisiana and Finland will jointly build six new Arctic Security Cutter icebreakers, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday.
Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, La., and Rauma Marine Constructions Oy of Rauma, Finland, received the contracts as part of an international agreement negotiated by the Trump Administration.
The contract with Rauma Marine Constructions Oy is for two cutters to be built in Finland, with delivery in 2028. The Bollinger contract includes up to four ships, with delivery in 2029.
“This plan is designed to take immediate advantage of our Finnish partners’ icebreaker expertise while coordinating the on-shoring of that expertise in the United States in the long run,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The U.S. Coast Guard currently has one heavy and two medium icebreakers in its fleet. The 50-year-old Polar Star is the only heavy icebreaker operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and is normally tasked to operate several months a year on Operation Deep Freeze, which opens shipping channels for scientific stations in Antarctica.
Congressional critics have called for action to close an Arctic region “icebreaker gap” with Russia and China. Russia, which has a long coastline on the Arctic, operatea about 40 icebreakers of various sizes; some are nuclear powered. The Russians have also fielded the first of its Ivan Papanin-class of armed icebreakers, carrying anAK-176MA 76mm gun in a turret on the foredeck and positions for missile launchers to be added.
China has four icebreakers operating in the Arctic and has taken part in joint voyages with Russian vessels in the far north.
The Coast Guard said the newly contracted icebreakers will increase American presence and capabilities in the northern polar region.
“These awards represent decisive action to guarantee American security in the Arctic,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, newly confirmed commandant of the Coast Guard. “The Arctic Security Cutters will deliver the essential capability to uphold U.S. sovereignty against adversaries’ aggressive economic and military actions in the Arctic. These cutters will ensure the Coast Guard’s ability to control, secure, and defend our northern border and maritime approaches — without question.”
The Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028, initiated by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, includes the new Arctic cutters as a way to create “a more agile, capable and responsive fighting force.”
