Orders for six new Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) have been placed by the U.S. Coast Guard, with the first of the new vessels set to be delivered in 2028.
Four of the new ships will be built in the U.S. by Bollinger Shipyards at its base in Houma, Louisiana, but the first two will be supplied by Finnish shipyard Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (RMC), which has indicated it will start construction work on the first boat in Rauma immediately. Delivery of the first Bollinger-built vessel is anticipated in 2029.
Designed to be able to navigate through Arctic seas, the ASC is a new class of medium polar icebreaker capable of breaking thick sea ice, with a range of thousands of nautical miles and able to remain on-station for extended deployments.
The design is based on the Multi-Purpose Icebreaker platform developed by Seaspan Shipyards of Vancouver, Canada, along with Aker Arctic Technology Inc of Helsinki, Finland.
It’s anticipated that a total of 11 such ships will eventually be acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard as America seeks to renew and expand its operational presence in the Arctic.
As per a U.S. Coast Guard statement; the role of the ASCs will be to “defend U.S. sovereignty, secure critical shipping lanes, protect energy and mineral resources, and counter our adversaries’ presence in the Arctic region.”
It added: “They will enable the Coast Guard to control, secure and defend U.S. Alaskan borders, facilitate maritime commerce vital to economic prosperity and strategic mobility, and respond to crises and contingencies in the region.”
The push to acquire the new ships forms part of America’s wider plan to fulfil its obligations under the 2024 ICE Pact agreement struck with Canada and Finland, a partnership seeking to boost collective security and counter growing influence from Russia and China in the Arctic region.
President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards Ben Bordelon commented: “The Arctic Security Cutter is one of the most consequential and time-sensitive shipbuilding programs in U.S. Coast Guard history, and today’s contract award is a clear vote of confidence in the men and women of Bollinger.”
And RMC CEO Mika Nieminen said: “The awarded contract marks a historic milestone. It is a major vote of confidence in RMC and in the Finnish maritime industry network…Our focus is straightforward: execute with discipline, manage risk rigorously, and deliver two cutters that are ready to operate in the world’s harshest maritime environment from day one.”
- You can read more details on the US Coast Guard website; the Bollinger website and the RMC website