On July 11, local time, the U.S. White House released a statement saying that the United States, Canada and Finland announced their intention to establish a trilateral agreement on the “Icebreaker Collaboration Effort” (ICE) to cooperate in the production of polar icebreakers. The statement was announced by Daleep Singh, Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security, and posted on the official White House website.
The pact has three components. First, enhanced information sharing on polar icebreaker production, as well as on Arctic and other polar capabilities. Second, collaboration on workforce development so workers and experts can train in yards across all three countries. And third, an invitation to our allies and partners to take advantage of the significant investments we’re making in highly complex shipbuilding capacity by purchasing polar icebreakers from American, Finnish, or Canadian shipyards for their own needs.
The cooperation will strengthen shipbuilding and industrial capabilities and create closer security and economic ties through information exchange and joint workforce development, the statement said.
Daleep Singh said, “To catch up with Russia and China, the U.S., Canada and Finland will join forces to build icebreakers, which are necessary for further work and for projecting power in the Arctic and Antarctica.”
He added that the United States currently has only two polar icebreakers, and they are nearing the end of their useful lives. Singh emphasized that Washington intends to increase the number of existing icebreakers many times over as soon as possible.