U.S. Agrees With Finland to Build Icebreakers to Deter Russia in the Arctic

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb have approved a memorandum of understanding on the construction of icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Reuters reported on this.

The agreement is intended to lay the groundwork for commercial contracts between the American side and Finnish companies.

It is expected that Finnish shipbuilders will construct four medium icebreakers at shipyards in Finland, after which the Americans will use their expertise to build up to seven more such vessels at shipbuilding facilities in the United States.

The new icebreakers for the Coast Guard are intended to strengthen the national security of the United States in the Arctic.

“We are buying the best icebreakers in the world, and Finland is known for building them,” said Trump.

At the same time, Stubb called the agreement ‘a huge strategic decision’ by Trump, “because we all know that the Arctic has strategic importance.”

The 11 new medium icebreakers are expected to cost around $6.1 billion, according to a White House official.

Reuters notes that Trump has consistently called on the United States to acquire up to 40 new icebreakers to bolster national security in the Arctic and counter the growing influence of China and Russia.

“At present, Russia has around 40 icebreakers, far exceeding the number possessed by any other country, which gives NATO’s main adversary a potentially significant advantage in the far north,” the report states.

Back in April, it was reported that the Finnish shipyard in Rauma had held negotiations with the U.S. regarding the construction of icebreakers at its facilities.

The search for a foreign contractor to build icebreakers for the Coast Guard is seen as a sign of the serious decline of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, as the last company to construct such vessels – Avondale Shipyard – launched its final ship back in 2014.