The Department of Homeland Security has signed off on a full production plan for a new polar security cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard.
The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to address a shortage of U.S. vessels capable of operating in the Arctic region. Changing weather patterns have opened up the opportunity for greater commercial maritime traffic in the High North, and the new polar security cutter will be the first heavy icebreaker built by a U.S. firm in 50 years.
Pascagoula, Mississippi-based Bollinger Shipyards secured a $951 million contract to build the new polar security cutter.
The class of vessels is expected to replace the current heavy icebreakers in the Coast Guard.
“The Coast Guard is the sole federal agency responsible for icebreaking. Accordingly, the service must replace, modernize, and grow its fleet of icebreakers to assure U.S. access and sovereignty in the polar regions,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The Coast Guard currently has a single heavy polar icebreaker in the fleet, the USCGC Polar Star, and a single medium-class polar icebreaker, the USCGC Healy.
Bollinger Shipyard President Ben Bordelon called the announcement a historic achievement for his company and American shipbuilding as well.
“Securing the green light for full production underscores the confidence the U.S. government places in Bollinger to deliver the nation’s first heavy polar icebreaker in nearly 50 years,” Mr. Bordelon said.
The Polar Star is about 50 years old, while the Healy has experienced significant problems over the years, including a 2024 electrical fire in the engine room that led to the cancellation of that year’s Arctic mission.
The stricken Healey was forced to return to Seattle for inspection and repairs, officials said.
“Our team at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding has worked tirelessly to put the [Polar Security Cutter] program on a solid path forward, ensuring that this vital national security asset will be built by American hands,” Mr. Bordelon said.
On April 9, President Trump issued the Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance executive order. It stated that the commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the U.S. have been weakened by decades of government neglect.
It has led to the decline of a once-strong industrial base while both empowering our adversaries and eroding U.S. national security.
“Both our allies and our strategic competitors produce ships for a fraction of the cost needed in the United States,” the executive order stated. “The United States constructs less than one percent of commercial ships globally, while the People’s Republic of China is responsible for producing approximately half.”
