US Coast Guards isbrytare

[vikingman]

Artist rendering of the Polar Security Cutter. Credit: Bollinger Shipyards

US Coast Guard beställer sin första tunga isbrytaren på 50 år. Programmet går under namnet "Polar Security Cutter" och är kraftigt försenat. Den första isbrytaren skall vara färdig 2030. Isbrytaren byggs hos Bollinger Shipyards i Mississippi. Isbrytarna sägs vara förberedda för beväpning. Samtidigt köper man offshore-fartyget Aiviq som är klassat i isbrytningsklass "polar class 3". Detta fartyg får namnet Storis (WAGB 21). US Coast Guard har ett behov av 8-9 isbrytare för att möta sina operativa behov i polarregionerna. Av dessa är behovet 3 tunga isbrytare.
 

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The U.S. Coast Guard has received approval to commence construction of its first heavy polar icebreaker in more than 50 years.

The milestone announcement comes as the service also reveals the acquisition of an interim icebreaker to bridge immediate operational needs.

The first Polar Security Cutter (PSC), under construction at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, builds upon prototype work initiated in summer 2023. The project employs an innovative eight-unit prototype fabrication assessment approach, designed to optimize construction processes and workforce development before full production begins.

The PSC, originally slated to enter service in 2024, has now officially been delayed until at least 2030.

“This acquisition is a vital step in increasing our operational presence in the Arctic,” stated Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan.

Fagan’s comments came as the service announced the $125 million acquisition of the motor vessel Aiviq, a 360-foot polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker.

The newly acquired vessel will be commissioned as Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB 21), honoring the legacy of its namesake, once known as the “Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast.” The vessel will ultimately be homeported in Juneau, Alaska, following necessary modifications and infrastructure improvements.

The Coast Guard’s current polar fleet consists of just two operational vessels: the heavy icebreaker Polar Star, commissioned in 1976, and the medium icebreaker Healy, commissioned in 1999. The service has identified a requirement for eight to nine polar icebreakers to meet its operational needs in polar regions.

Coast Guard Begins Construction of First Heavy Polar Icebreaker in Five Decades

U.S. Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Production Decision Expected This Week After Multi-Year Delay

US Coast Guard takes over ownership of polar icebreaker Aiviq

Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter (Polar Icebreaker) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (PDF)
 

Edited December 25, 2024 by vikingman

[Perman]

Aiviq klassas inte som en isbrytare idag utan som multi purpose offshore vessel eller polar icebreaking tug. Hon har isklass ABS A3 efter den amerikanska klassningen, där A5 är den högsta isklassen och D0 är den lägsta. 

 

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The American Bureau of Shipping has a system of ice classes which includes classes A5 through A0; B0, C0, and D0. A5 class is the strongest built of the classes, with D0 being the weakest. All other major classification societies have a similar system of ice classes, and converting between ice classes is relatively easy. In most cases only the names of the classes are changed and the specifics of the Arctic class are identical. ABS Class A5 is the only Arctic Class that may act independently in extreme Arctic waters with no limitations. Other classes are subject to limitations on time of year, required escort (always with a vessel of higher ice class) and ice conditions.

 

Enligt eng wiki har hon en maxfart på 15 kn och en bollard pull på 200 ton. Som jämförelse så har KBV001-klassen en marschfart på 12 kn och en bollard pull på 150 ton. 

 

Aiviq

 

Aiviq, polar icebreaking tug.

 

Redan 2016 hade man planer på att köpa Aiviq till US Coast Guard, men planerna föll på att hon har direct drive diesels i motsats till diesel electric drive.

 

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In 2016 there was already consideration of buying or leasing the Aiviq for Coast Guard service. It was still being considered in 2017 (and here).

The ship was evaluated by the Coast Guard and the conclusion was rather lukewarm. There was concern about the use of direct drive diesels as opposed to diesel electric drive. (Sorry I could not find when this was reported.)

 

 

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As I recall the purchase was included in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 budgets. I’m not sure why it hasn’t happened already, but Aiviq has been supporting the Australian Antarctic program.

 

The Icebreaker Aiviq Saga

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With line-item funding provided by Congress, the Coast Guard bought Aiviq from the Chouest subsidiary Offshore Service Vessels LLC for a total of $125 million. The price includes reactivation, delivery, spare parts, vessel modifications and crew training. 

In a statement, the USCG said that it "will evaluate the vessel's condition and identify requirements to achieve full operational capability." 

Aiviq was built in 2012 as an icebreaking anchor-handler for Shell's Arctic offshore drilling program. During a tow in the Gulf of Alaska in December 2012, she encountered seas of 20-30 feet and lost power in all engines due to water in fuel contamination. An after-accident inquiry found that this was likely caused by the immersion of her low-freeboard stern and seawater infiltration through her tank vents. Her tow ran aground and was ultimately scrapped. 

 

 

Edison Chouest Completes Sale of Icebreaker Aiviq to the U.S. Coast Guard

 

/Per

Edited December 25, 2024 by Perman

[enigmatik]

20 hours ago, Perman said:

Aiviq klassas inte som en isbrytare idag utan som multi purpose offshore vessel eller polar icebreaking tug. Hon har isklass ABS A3 efter den amerikanska klassningen, där A5 är den högsta isklassen och D0 är den lägsta. 

 

 

Enligt eng wiki har hon en maxfart på 15 kn och en bollard pull på 200 ton. Som jämförelse så har KBV001-klassen en marschfart på 12 kn och en bollard pull på 150 ton. 

 

Aiviq

 

Aiviq, polar icebreaking tug.

 

Redan 2016 hade man planer på att köpa Aiviq till US Coast Guard, men planerna föll på att hon har direct drive diesels i motsats till diesel electric drive.

 

 

 

The Icebreaker Aiviq Saga

 

Edison Chouest Completes Sale of Icebreaker Aiviq to the U.S. Coast Guard

 

/Per

"Operative behov" er ikke ett verdinøytralt begrep, men impliserer grensekonflikten med Canada og hvor den nordlige sjøruten skal gå - innenfor eller utenfor kanadiske sjøterritorium. Det er også en konkurranse og konfliktsituasjon her til den russiske sjøruten og Russlands voldsomme forsprang i isbryterkappløpet i Arktis og dermed kontroll og utnyttelse av hele regionen. Og det er før man nevner Trump og hans ønske om å kjøpe Grønland.

 

Byggeprogrammet omfatter dessuten både Arktis og Antarktis.

[vikingman]

USCGC Polar Star Departs Sydney on Antarctic Resupply Mission

The U.S. Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker, USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10), has departed Sydney to begin its Antarctic mission supporting Operation Deep Freeze 2025. The departure marks the vessel’s 28th voyage to Antarctica, where it will play a crucial role in resupplying U.S. research stations.

Before departing Australia on Friday, the Polar Star conducted a logistics stop at HMAS Kuttabul on December 21, taking on fuel and supplies while hosting tours for U.S. diplomatic personnel.
 

The mission, considered one of the U.S. military’s most challenging peacetime operations, involves breaking ice to facilitate the resupply of McMurdo Station and other U.S. Antarctic research facilities. The joint operation includes personnel from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy working through Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica.

The aging Polar Star, commissioned in 1976, remains the backbone of America’s polar operations. Despite its 75,000 horsepower and icebreaking capabilities, the vessel’s age highlights the pressing need for fleet modernization. The Coast Guard has identified a requirement for eight to nine polar icebreakers to meet operational needs, but relief isn’t coming soon. The first Polar Security Cutter, initially planned for 2024, has been delayed until at least 2030.

[vikingman]

U.S. Department of Defense Sounds Alarm Bells About China’s Growing Presence in Arctic

In the decade since gaining observer status on the Arctic Council in 2013 China has massively expanded its Arctic footprint and has begun to work closely with Russia in its attempt to be seen as an Arctic power.

“The PRC’s expanding Arctic engagement has created new opportunities for engagement between the PRC and Russia and has resulted in unprecedented styles of collaboration,” the DoD concludes.

China continues to expand its ice-capable vessels and support ships and has made rapid progress in designing and constructing icebreakers. Its original icebreaker, Ukrainian-built Xue Long 1, has been supplemented with a host of new polar vessels. In 2019 Xue Long 2 became the first domestically built polar icebreaker. 

In the five years since, the country has launched or placed into service two additional icebreaking ships and converted a commercial one. Ji Di, a 5,600 tonne Polar Class 6 research vessel, operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources entered into service in August 2024. A second much larger Polar Class 4 research icebreaker, Tan Suo San Hao, followed in December 2024.

The similarly-named Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, a former commercial icebreaker, was also converted for government use.

The summer of 2024 saw three Chinese icebreaking vessels operate in the Arctic simultaneously for the first time, while U.S. presence was hampered by the lack of available Coast Guard icebreakers.

“The DoD report once more reads as a defensive strategy when Washington actually needs an offensive one. Simply pointing at Chinese vessel growth and investment is becoming a tired strategy for the U.S. High time to start cutting steel and prioritising its own Arctic presence – after all, presence is power,” says Elizabeth Buchanan, a polar geopolitics expert at Australian Strategic Policy Institute.