The United States is considering the construction of icebreakers in Finland

The United States is considering the Finnish shipyard in Rauma as one of the contenders for the construction of new icebreakers for the US Coast Guard.

This was reported by the Helsingin Sanomat.

According to the publication, the shipyard is negotiating the construction of at least five icebreakers at its main facilities in Finland.

Among the potential vessels will be 3-5 medium icebreakers, which should replace the only medium icebreaker in the US Coast Guard today – USCGC Healy (WAGB-20).

The cost of their construction is estimated at €2.5 billion, which could be a major boost for the Finnish shipbuilding industry.

At the same time, the publication notes that the order has not yet been awarded to any company, as the United States is looking for the most optimal contractor among companies from around the world.

One of the conditions should be the construction of five icebreakers in 3.5 years, which is a rather short period of time, but possible if the process is well planned.

The search for a foreign contractor to build icebreakers for the Coast Guard is an example of the serious degradation of the US shipbuilding industry, as the last company to build ships of this type, Avondale Shipyard, launched its last vessel in 2014, 11 years ago.

The United States is now seeking to strengthen its patrol forces to at least partially counter Russia in the Arctic Ocean, where Russia currently has a serious advantage due to the use of 57 vessels capable of operating in icy waters.

In addition to the complete loss of icebreaker capability, the United States is also losing competence in more traditional shipbuilding, including the construction of warships such as the new Constellation frigates.

Currently, the US program is three years behind schedule, which is a critical milestone in the expansion of the US Navy in the race against the Chinese fleet.

In addition to the actual lag in the construction of new frigates, this project will incur additional costs, which, as the publication notes, may be imposed on the US Navy’s budget in the future.

Currently, the Constellation frigates are being built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, which laid down the lead frigate on April 12, 2024, and has not yet made an additional keel laying for the second frigate.