Bollinger Shipyards is leading an effort to improve the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet in partnership with Rauma Shipyards and Aker Arctic of Finland and Vancouver-based Seaspan Shipyards. The four companies will explore the lowest-risk, fastest delivery solution to produce Arctic security cutters for the service.
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According to Bollinger, the Seaspan-Aker Multi-Purpose Icebreaker design meets the U.S. Coast Guard’s requirements. The vessel can break 4 feet of ice, travel 12,000 nautical miles and operate for 60 days. It is designed for different missions and interoperable with the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.
Ben Bordelon, president and CEO at Bollinger Shipyards, said the partnership between the four companies aligns with President Donald Trump’s vision of a modernized U.S. icebreaking fleet.
“Speculative designs can derail programs, delay delivery and devastate shipyards. The Seaspan-Aker MPI design is the most mature, construction-ready design available, and we’re bringing proven capability, hard-earned lessons and unmatched U.S. capacity to get it built,” he said.
The work is expected to benefit from the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact between the United States, Canada and Finland, an agreement to advance Arctic and polar icebreaker development through combined knowledge, resources and expertise.