The US Coast Guard has finalized two contracts worth approximately $3.3 billion with Bollinger Shipyards and Rauma Marine Constructions for the construction and delivery of six Arctic Security Cutters designed to bolster America’s position in the Arctic.
Awarded in December, the finalized contracts call for Louisiana-based Bollinger to deliver four vessels for approximately $2.2 billion, while Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions will build the remaining two for approximately $1.1 billion.
Initial contract awards enabled the shipbuilders to begin planning while the final contract details were being negotiated.
Delivery of the first vessel is scheduled for 2028, with all six expected to enter service by 2031.
Together, the contracts complete the Coast Guard’s planned procurement of 11 Arctic Security Cutters, with the remaining five to be built by Davie Defense at its shipyards in Finland and Texas.
“America’s future in the Arctic demands strength, capability, and resolve,” US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said.
“I want to thank President Trump for his bold leadership and vision in directing this critical investment that made these icebreakers possible.
These cutters will deliver the enduring operational capability our Nation needs to defend our sovereignty, deter adversaries, and safeguard vital resources for the American people.”
Arctic Security Cutters Program
The Arctic Security Cutters will provide medium icebreaking capability across the Arctic, helping address the Coast Guard’s urgent need to expand its polar-capable fleet.
The service currently operates three polar icebreakers: one heavy icebreaker commissioned in 1976 and two medium icebreakers commissioned in 2000 and 2025.
Each Arctic Security Cutter will measure 328 feet (100 meters) in length, displace about 9,000 tons, and accommodate a crew of 85, according to a product sheet from Vancouver-based Seaspan Shipyards, which co-developed the vessel’s design with Finland’s Aker Arctic Technology, USNI News reported.
The vessel is based on the Multi-Purpose Icebreaker design developed by Seaspan Shipyards for the Canadian Coast Guard, featuring an icebreaking hull designed by Aker Arctic Technology.
Built to Lloyd’s Polar Class PC4 standards, the diesel-electric vessels will feature a variable-speed DC-bus power plant delivering 10,100 kilowatts of installed power and 7,200 kilowatts of propulsion power.
They will have a range of approximately 12,000 nautical miles (22,224 kilometers/13,809 miles) and be capable of breaking through 1 meter (3.3 feet) of ice at 4 knots (7.4 kilometers/4.6 miles per hour), enabling sustained operations in Arctic waters.
