Posted on 07/03/2025 4:28:40 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Summary
LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill earmarks more than $8.6 billion to increase the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, where Washington hopes to counter rising Russian and Chinese dominance.
The funding includes $4.3 billion for up to three new heavy Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters, $3.5 billion for medium Arctic Security Cutters, and $816 million for procurement of additional light and medium icebreaking cutters.
The cutters will have reinforced hulls and specially angled bows designed for open-water icebreaking.
The Coast Guard had been seeking eight to nine Arctic-ready icebreakers. Its current fleet now just includes three.
Trump has been pushing to revive U.S. shipbuilding to counter China's growing strength in maritime manufacturing and naval dominance. Earlier this year, he unveiled separate plans to levy fees and tariffs on Chinese ships and port equipment including ship-to-shore cranes to bolster that effort.
As climate change shrinks polar ice packs, Arctic seas are increasingly being considered as trade routes connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to major economies.
China and Russia have been working together to develop Arctic shipping routes and fortify their defenses. The United States, Canada and Finland last year announced a trilateral partnership called the "ICE Pact" to build a fleet of 70 to 90 ice-breaking ships over the coming decade to "project power" into the polar region and enforce international norms and treaties.
Trump has also repeatedly called for the United States to acquire as...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Better idea and a moneysaver.
Increase global warming and get the arctic ice to break up.
Icebergs can carry advertising like on city buses, sold to pay for the other kind of “ICE” budget.
Everybody’s happy.
Ice? Tell that to manbearpig.
“Better idea and a moneysaver. Increase global warming and get the arctic ice to break up.”
Besides Russia, Canada would be the BIG WINNER. What does Russia do? Roll with it. Yet what does Canada do? Literally EVERYTHING to wreck that future.
I wonder if they’ll have trouble finding contractors who can build these vessels. I’ve read that Navy contracts are going unfulfilled because the shipbuilders have trouble recruiting qualified machinists and welders to do the work.
I guess when we get Greenland we will need more Ice breakers!
Good.
I think we ought to ask our shipbuilding allies with capacity to make some of the ships - to our specifications. And then donate the ships to the U.S. for us to crew.
It would be part of their belated contribution to world peace.
Build a big icebreaker garage… in Greeenand.
He has been quiet for some time.
That’s a good thing.
Manbearpig is the only name I use for that vile being.
Russia has a good number of nuclear powered icebreakers.
I am not sure if it was nuclear powered but an Russia icebreaker just plowed through the ice in the Arctic Ocean and a product tanker moved cargo eastward through the Arctic circle and into the Bearing Sea and will begin delivering product to China
Show me proof you morons...
<>As climate change shrinks polar ice packs,<>
Why believe anything in the article after such airhead comments?
Does this mean that the BBB will be promoting ice ship production in the US, or is the plan still being pursued to contract Finland to produce these ships?
“Does this mean that the BBB will be promoting ice ship production in the US, or is the plan still being pursued to contract Finland to produce these ships?”
I don’t know the answer.
My contribution to the issue of ship shortage is to recommend our allies build needed ships and donate them to the U.S. for crewing.
Ships would be built to U.S. specifications and under our supervision at the shipyards.
It would be a way for allies to protect their own bacon using existing capacity; plus they would avoid operational costs.
The current fleet is a joke. The only heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star is in maintenance, the Healy is needed in the Great Lakes, and the Alviq is a converted oil field light duty breaker
Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters are a joke. Only one may launch this year - the other 2 are on paper. These ships are conventionally powdered [ read under-powered ], with abortive hulls designed by committee so they can travel the open oceans in comfort to Antarctica. In other words they are inefficient hulls.
Meanwhile, Russia has at least 12 dual reactor heavy icebreakers with more under construction. Russia’s icebreakers do 3 knots through 9 feet of ice, while the Security Cutters are projected to do 3 knots through 3 feet of ice.
Finland [ which has 5 nuclear-powered breakers ] offered to build state-of-the-art, nuclear-powered icebreakers quickly and cheaply - but ‘Made in America’ won, and we are settling for the 3rd best ships which will be over-budget and late as traditional for US ships. Due to the lack of ship engineers, machinists, welders, and others needed to make the ships, it will be years, if not a decade, before the other 2 Security Cutters are operational.
This is the prime example why the Coast Guard needs to be removed from DHS! Back to Treasury, given to the Navy, or even their own branch -anything but DHS.
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