American Shipyards to Build Icebreaker for U.S. Coast Guard for Over $950 Million

By Marek Grzybowski

Bollinger Shipyards has been awarded a $951.6 million government contract to build the first American new heavy polar icebreaker. These are the first such orders in nearly 50 years for American shipyards. This is the first in a series of ships to be built under the U.S. Coast Guard polar security cutter (PSC) program.

Bollinger Shipyards announced a few days ago that it had been awarded a $951.6 million contract to build the first American new heavy polar icebreaker, the first such order in nearly 50 years. The contract had been prepared earlier in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard. However, the requirements and series were still being agreed upon, which is why the signing of the contract was not announced until March of this year.

The Lockport, Louisiana-based shipyard group announced that the contract modification accelerates the detailed design and construction phase of the U.S. Coast Guard polar security cutter (PSC). The way is being paved for the first ship in the series, the 460’x88′ USCGC Polar Sentinel (WMSP-21).

The icebreaker is scheduled for completion by 2030. The contract was awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command. The U.S. Navy manages the fleet development program in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard. Acquisitions and oversight of contracts and spending for Coast Guard ships and vessels are managed through an integrated office.

“Securing this contract modification was truly a Herculean effort and underscores the incredible confidence the U.S. government has in Bollinger to build and deliver the first heavy polar icebreaker in half a century,” said Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards.

The PSC program has a long and turbulent history, marked by significant delays and escalating costs. The initial PSC, for which VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Mississippi, received a $745.9 million contract in 2019, has been awaiting construction. It was originally scheduled for delivery in 2024.

Icebreakers in the Program

The PSC is a new class of ship designed to replace the U.S. Coast Guard’s aging icebreaker fleet. The exposed ships pose many challenges in maintaining technical equipment. Authorities emphasize that the fleet is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. The heavy icebreaker USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) was commissioned in 1976, and the medium icebreaker USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) in 1999.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been planning to replace its polar icebreaker fleet for several years. The goal is “to ensure continued access to both polar regions and support the economic, commercial, maritime, and national security needs of the country,” the U.S. Coast Guard explained in its statement launching the program.

The current operational polar fleet includes one 399-foot heavy icebreaker Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star and one 420-foot medium icebreaker Coast Guard Cutter Healy. These ships are designed for breaking ice in open waters and have reinforced hulls and special bows. Polar Star underwent a three-year reconstruction and returned to service in late 2013.

Since then, Polar Star has completed six Operation Deep Freeze missions. Their goal was to provide supplies to McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Polar Star also made a winter voyage to the Arctic. Polar Star’s operational value was extended under the SLEP (service life extension project) in 2021. The idea was to extend the icebreaker’s operational life by four years.

The Coast Guard justifies the icebreaker replacement program this way: “The United States has vital national interests in the polar regions. Polar vessels enable the United States to maintain defense readiness in the Arctic and Antarctic regions; enforce treaties and other laws necessary to protect both industry and the environment; provide ports, waterways, and coastal security; and provide logistical support—including vessel escorts—to facilitate the movement of goods and personnel necessary to support scientific research, trade, national security, and maritime security.”

Coast Guard, Navy Join Forces
The Coast Guard is not acting alone. The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy are working together to manage the icebreaker program through an integrated program office. On April 23, 2019, a contract was awarded to VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi, for the detailed engineering, design and construction of the new PSC. Construction of the first PSC was planned to begin in 2022. The icebreaker was to be built by 2025. The contract included financial benefits for early delivery.

According to a 2024 Congressional Budget Office report, the total cost of purchasing the first three ships was estimated at about $5.1 billion. This amount included the construction of the previously planned USCGC Polar Bear (WMSP-22) and USCGC Polar Glacier (WMSP-22). In 2024, it turned out that building new icebreakers would cost more than twice the original estimate.

Bollinger Shipyards took over the construction of PSC through its acquisition of Halter Marine in November 2022. It took more than two years to complete the icebreaker program. Bollinger management said it had expanded its staff and technical capabilities to support the USCG’s icebreaker program. Since taking over the Pascagoula shipyard in 2022, Bollinger has increased its workforce in Mississippi by more than 61%. Bollinger has focused on shipbuilding at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding (BMS), in particular. The Pascagoula production workforce has grown by more than 178%. Management said the shipbuilding workforce is expected to grow as icebreaker production increases in the coming years.

Under the modified agreement, work will be performed primarily at BMS, with additional work also performed at locations in Boston, Peoria, Illinois, Crozet, Va., Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Harvey, Louisiana, and other collaborators.

“New” icebreaker in service from 2025

The Coast Guard has taken possession of the 360-foot, 360’8″x80’x34′ Class 3 commercial polar icebreaker Aiviq In December 2024. The vessel was purchased from a subsidiary of Edison Chouest Offshore in November. The Coast Guard acquired the vessel for $125 million in a deal with Offshore Surface Vessels LLC. The vessel, which was built in 2012. It was used as a service vessel to service offshore oil platforms in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska in the Arctic Ocean. It has been deployed to Antarctica on icebreaking missions twice.

The decision was made due to the postponement of new icebreaker deliveries and the need to maintain control in the Arctic and ensure continuity of operations. The USCG-flagged vessel will sail as USCGC Storis (WAGB-21). It is scheduled to enter service in 2026 and will be docked in Juneau, Alaska. To ensure proper conditions The lay-up will require infrastructure improvements.

It is the first “new” polar icebreaker in more than 25 years. Storis means “big ice” in Scandinavian. The name is also a nod to the original CGC Storis, a legendary light icebreaker that was commissioned in 1942. It supported submarines through the ice during the war and participated in convoys during World War II. The first CGC Storis was the ship that pioneered the Northwest Passage and established the first American Northwest Passage. In 1948, Storis was transferred to Alaska, where she spent 59 years protecting American waters and coastlines, conducting search and rescue, and providing humanitarian assistance until her decommissioning in 2007. The new CGC Storis has undergone minor changes since her acquisition last year. These include repainting her hull in red and designating the ship WAGB-21.