U.S. Coast Guard Seeks Options for Another Small Icebreaker

 

The U.S. Coast Guard is asking industry for options to buy or build another off-the-shelf icebreaker design similar in size to the Aiviq (USCGC Storis) or Canada's Harry DeWolf-class. 

On April 11, the Coast Guard published a request for information (RFI) seeking "existing vessels or production ready vessel designs" for a small icebreaker class with specific requirements:

- At most 360 feet in length, 78-foot beam and 23 feet of draft
- Icebreaking capability of three feet thick at three knots 
- Range of 6,500 nautical miles 
- Endurance of 60 days
- Flight deck and hangar for one helicopter 

The type of vessel sought appears to align well with Canada's Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), or Harry DeWolf-class, which meets all of these specifications. A vessel of this class would be smaller and less capable than the Coast Guard's medium icebreaker, USCGC Healy, or the service's long-delayed Polar Security Cutter (PSC). 

The RFI indicates that the Coast Guard has an interest in moving swiftly, as it is seeking a yard that can deliver within three years of a contract award. This would require a rapid wind-up at a capable yard or an open slot on a hot production line. Only a few shipyards in the world have recent experience producing thick-hulled icebreaking vessels, and all are located outside of the United States. 

The RFI could align with the goals of the ICE Pact, the joint icebreaker construction agreement that the Biden administration signed with Canada and Finland in 2024. In parallel with the ICE Pact, Canadian shipbuilder Davie proposed to use its expertise to open a yard in the United States to build icebreaking vessels - though this plan would require a longer timetable than the RFI's three-year maximum.