Bollinger and its partners will be responsible for the construction of six state-of-the-art icebreakers
NORTH VANCOUVER – Seaspan Shipyards and three other companies have been selected to help design six new Arctic Security Cutter ships for the United States Coast Guard.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced recently that Seaspan, Bollinger Shipyards (in partnership with Rauma Marine Constructions) and Aker Arctic Technology Inc. have been selected for the design and construction of the ships. The Bollinger-led team will leverage the mature and production-ready Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design, which was developed by Seaspan and Aker Arctic for allied missions in extreme polar environments. Construction is to begin immediately in Finland and the U.S., with full production eventually transitioning to America.
“Seaspan is extremely proud to work hand in hand with our American and Finnish partners, Bollinger, Aker and Rauma, to provide the U.S. Coast Guard with a state-of-the-art icebreaker design that is mission ready for extreme ice conditions and will fortify and strengthen Arctic security,” says Seaspan Shipyards CEO John McCarthy. “This contract award demonstrates Seaspan’s world-class marine engineering and design capabilities on the global stage, and further expands North America’s capacity to design, build, and export Arctic-going vessels.”
The Seaspan-Aker MPI design has already undergone significant engineering, testing, and integration work, enabling the team to proceed immediately to production. The partnership structure ensures speed to delivery, cost certainty, and seamless interoperability with the Canadian Coast Guard.
Seaspan is a leader in Canada’s ship design, engineering, building and ship repair industry and has a workforce of approximately 4,800 in North Vancouver and Victoria. Seaspan has a total orderbook of 21 icebreaking vessels including up to 16 MPIs for the Canadian Coast Guard, and is recognized as a leader in design and construction of Polar Class vessels.
In addition to the Bollinger-led team, Canada’s Davie Shipyards will also contribute to the ASC program by building a separate class of vessels on their fourth-generation Multi-Purpose Polar Support Ship (MPPS) design.
Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, states the award “is a testament to President Trump’s leadership and his historic investment in America’s maritime industrial base. We appreciate the trust President Trump has placed in the skilled men and women of Bollinger Shipyards and stand ready to begin construction on these critical vessels on day one. The Arctic Security Cutter will enable the United States to rapidly project American power, enforce our sovereignty, and reassert American dominance in the arctic.”
Bollinger and its partners will be responsible for the construction of six state-of-the-art icebreakers. The first three vessels will be built simultaneously by Rauma in Finland and Bollinger in the United States, with production of the remaining three vessels to be built in the United States. Delivery of the first three vessels is expected within 36 months of the contract award.
Under the ICE Pact trilateral framework between the United States, Canada, and Finland, this program represents a model for allied industrial collaboration. The parallel construction of the first three vessels at Rauma and Bollinger will rapidly accelerate early delivery while ensuring a stable foundation for full domestic production in the United States.
Bollinger will assume full program leadership for U.S.-based construction and long-term sustainment.
With the ability to break four feet of ice, travel 12,000 nautical miles, and operate for over 60 days, the ASC is purpose-built to support the evolving mission needs of the U.S. Coast Guard in the harshest conditions. Additionally, its shared multi-mission design with the Canadian Coast Guard fleet will create the largest class of icebreaking capability in the world, optimizing interoperability and maintenance support.
The ASC fleet will enable year-round access to polar regions for national defense, maritime sovereignty, scientific research and search and rescue operations.
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