U.S. Looking to Acquire ‘Fennica’ Icebreaker from Finland, Order Several New Ones
Finnish icebreaker Fennica in the Bay of Botnia. (Source: Marcus Roos via CC BY-SA 3.0)
The U.S. government is in negotiations to purchase several icebreakers from Finland, including construction of new vessels and possibly the 33-year old Fennica. The news follows ongoing developments in the global icebreaker market with both Canadian and Finnish yards recently launching new projects.
Following U.S. President Trump’s remarks about buying Finnish icebreakers at the NATO summit in The Hague last week, additional details have emerged.
The U.S. reportedly intends to lease or purchase the more than 30-year old Fennica icebreaker. In addition Finnish yards could construct two new icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard. Finland’s modern Polaris icebreaker, however, was not up for sale or available for lease, said a government representative last week.
Finland has limited icebreakers available that it would be willing to part with and that would be suitable for use by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Fennica, built in1993 as prototype design for a multi-purpose icebreaker could serve as a capable stopgap measure to further bolster the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic fleet, until new-built vessels become available by 2030.
The 33-years old vessel has been well maintained and upgraded over the years. While it ultimately did not prove very suitable for service in the Baltic Sea, it has sailed across the Arctic on multiple occasions, including Russia’s Northern Sea Route and Canada’s Northwest Passage.
In fact it could prove more useful than the U.S. Coast Guard’s recent acquisition, Storis. The Coast Guard purchased the vessel at the end of 2024 and intends to formally commission it in August 2024. The commercial icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel, originally called Aiviq and built for Shell’s Arctic oil operation, has faced repeated criticism about its suitability for the Coast Guard’s mission.
Maintaining the Fennica, however, could prove costly, industry sources point out; a potential financial challenge for the U.S. Coast Guard already facing a $7bn maintenance backlog. Negotiations over the acquisition of Fennica reportedly remain ongoing.
The purchase of foreign-built vessels is politically controversial in the U.S., especially at a time when the Administration is eager to revive domestic shipbuilding. An order for icebreakers from Finland would likely require direct intervention by Trump.
Previous reporting suggests that President Trump would like to see the U.S. place into service a new icebreaker before the end of his term; a goal domestic shipyards are unlikely to meet. The timeline for Finnish yards, on the other hand, appears more favorable given their track record of delivering icebreakers within a three year time frame.
Even if Fennica’s role and remaining lifetime may be limited it may offer valuable platforms to train additional crews for operation in the Arctic. After all, President Trump has repeatedly talked about acquiring several dozen icebreakers; vessels that will need to be crewed by experienced personnel.