Late last week, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a request for information (RFI) to U.S. and international shipbuilders for the construction of one to three medium-sized icebreakers to be deployed in the Arctic, but it has not yet been determined whether the construction plan will translate into specific investment.
This request for information is intended to update the U.S. Coast Guard’s knowledge of existing vessel designs and shipyard capabilities to build and launch a medium-sized icebreaker within 36 months of contract award, a daunting task for U.S. shipyards.The RFI requests engineering, procurement, and construction information for up to three such vessels.
In addition to providing conventional information such as ship design and construction capabilities like American shipyards, non-US shipyards must also clarify whether they have cooperated with American shipyards. If so, the name of the cooperating shipyard and the time of cooperation must be stated. This also means that the US Coast Guard has basically locked its target shipyards among US shipyards and shipyards of US allies.
RFI suggests that the proposed medium-sized icebreaker would be about 110 meters long and 23.77 meters wide, with a draft of no more than 7 meters, a range of 6,500 nautical miles, and can break about 0.91 meters of ice at a speed of 3 knots. The range and icebreaking capability are moderate.
In comparison, the U.S. Coast Guard’s current medium icebreaker “Healy” is more powerful, with a range of 16,000 nautical miles and can continuously break through ice about 1.37 meters thick. According to the specifications, the proposed medium icebreaker will serve as an icebreaker that can sail in annual ice in spring, summer and autumn.
It is understood that the RFI calls the new icebreaker “Polar Security Cutter (PSC)”. To date, only one heavy icebreaker has been fully funded in the U.S., and it is being built at the Bollinger Shipyard in Mississippi. It’s worth noting that as early as August 2023, the heavy polar icebreaker’s contractor shipyard had already begun cutting steel plates for some of the modules, but didn’t actually move into the construction phase until late last year, when it was officially approved. It could take 7-8 years from the first steel cutting to completion and delivery.
The U.S. Coast Guard has repeatedly stated that it needs a total of 8-9 icebreakers to ensure year-round access to the Arctic, including three heavy icebreakers and five to six medium icebreakers.