Shipyards Line Up for New USCG Arctic Security Cutter Construction

USCG medium-duty Arctic Security Cutter icebreaker — Rendering of the Seaspan-Aker design that will be used for the USCG medium-duty Arctic Security Cutter (Seaspan)

Shipyards representing the partnership between Finland, Canada, and the United States quickly lined up to announce their roles in the new Arctic Security Cutter program. Two multinational partnerships based on the 2024 trilateral ICE Pact launched by the Biden administration are positioned to benefit from the newly announced Trump program.

One of the partnerships was developed by Canada’s Seaspan Shipyards, which has already developed one of the designs with Finland’s Aker Arctic Technology, and which will be built by Rauma Marine Construction in Finland and Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana in the United States. The other group that will participate was developed by Canada’s Davie, which acquired Helsinki Shipyard and recently purchased a yard in Texas.

The groundwork was set through an agreement signed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Trump is invoking national security interests so that the United States can build icebreakers in Finland. The deal is designed to leverage Finland’s broad experience and established networks to speed the development of the vessels.

“This Memorandum of Understanding marks the beginning of a Western shipbuilding project the likes of which has not been seen since World War II,” said Davie co-owner and CEO James Davies, commenting on the agreement between Finland and the United States. “It represents a revival of Western industrial power led by the United States, and is powered by Finland’s world-leading icebreaking expertise. We will work tirelessly with the United States Coast Guard to get the ships into the water by 2028.”

Davie says it has entered into commercial negotiations with the U.S. Coast Guard to finalize the agreement. It said the number of ships to be built and the economic impact will be determined in future negotiations. Trump directed the U.S. Coast Guard to develop the final plan, but it is understood the program will involve a total of 11 icebreakers, with the Seaspan group saying it is in line to build a total of six.

Helsinki Shipyard highlights that it has built half of the world’s icebreakers and all the icebreakers built in Finland in the 21st century. It will be using a fourth-generation design for Arctic icebreakers in the program for the United States. The plan calls for medium-duty Arctic Security cutters. Currently, working with Davie, the yard is building the heavy Polar Max icebreaker for the Canadian government.

Speed is one of the priorities for the new program, with Helsinki Shipyard highlighting that it is able to build several icebreakers simultaneously. In addition to the acquisition in Texas, Davie also strengthened its steel production with the acquisition of Enersense Offshore in Finland. The yard in Mantyluoto is currently supplying steel blocks for the Polar Max icebreaker and will also participate in the U.S. shipbuilding program.

"The United States Coast Guard is placing its trust in Rauma Marine Constructions’ proven shipbuilding capability. With a hot production line and our ice-class experience, we are ready to deliver the Arctic Security Cutters on an accelerated timeline in close cooperation with our U.S. partner and allied industry,” said Mika Nieminen, CEO of Rauma Marine Constructions.

It will be building vessels using the Seaspan-Aker MPI design, which they note has already undergone significant engineering, testing, and integration work, which will enable it to proceed quickly into production. The design is for a vessel that can break four feet of ice, travel 12,000 miles, and operate for over 60 days. It will be able to maintain year-round access to the Arctic, and as a shared multi-mission design with the Canadian Coast Guard, it will have interoperability and create the largest class of icebreaking capability in the world.

The first three vessels will be built simultaneously by Rauma in Finland and Bollinger in the United States, with the parallel construction enabling accelerated delivery. The group says delivery of the first three vessels is expected within 36 months of the contract award. The three additional vessels will be built in the United States.

Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Sakari Puisto, called the agreements “great news” for the country. He highlighted that Finland has an extensive network of subcontractors and partners available to quickly execute on the construction program.