Page 61: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2025)

ICE PACT COUNTRIES & NATO ALLIES in a ? ve-phase program between 2026- administration have made statements on has a further three on order. 60% of ac- 2029. plans to buy or take-over Greenland. A tive icebreakers were built on or before • Completion of life extension of the Bill, H.R.1161 - Red, White, and Bluel 2000 and a further 8% were built in nine Bay-class Great Lakes icebreak- and Act of 2025 , has been introduced 2000-2009. he main national icebreak- ers for 15 years in 2023 at the Coast to the House of Representatives and ers are owned by Artica Icebreaking and

Guard yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. proposes authorizing the President to the Finnish Navy operates the corvettes

The budget estimate per vessel was negotiate with the government of Den- and security vessels. The largest Finn- $13.5 million. mark “to purchase or otherwise acquire” ish icebreaker owner, Alfons Hakons,

To address the short- to medium Greenland. The Bill is being discussed operates harbor towage vessels and is term capacity shortage, of late the by the Committee on Foreign Affairs not a main shipping lane icebreaking

White House has held discussions with and the Committee on Natural Re- company.

Finland over potential acquisition of sources. The U.S. position is a cause of Construction of Finland’s bigger the 1993-built multipurpose icebreaker tension with Denmark and Greenland, icebreakers has been concentrated in

Fennica and it has been reported that who do not support the U.S. initiative. two main yards, what are now known the Coast Guard is negotiating with as Helsinki Shipyards and Rauma Ma- a Finnish shipbuilder (reported in the rine Contractors. However, the Alfon Finland

Finnish press as Rauma Marine Con- Finland’s maritime coast is bordered Hakons ? eet has been built in a large tractors) acquiring newbuilding three by the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of number of European yards. to ? ve Arctic Security Cutters and pos- Finland, both sub-areas of the Baltic. Of note, 31% of the global active ice- sibly also three Polar Security Cutters. Icebreakers are essential for maintain- breaker ? eet has been built by Finnish

Under the current White House direc- ing year-round access to its ports and yards, and many more overseas-built tion, one expected role of U.S. icebreak- winter access for shipping to the Baltic. vessels have been designed by Finnish ers is to support oil and gas exploration Finland is home to 42 active ice- naval architects and engineering ? rms, and production in the Department of the breakers, is currently building two and such as Arker Arctic, Bluetech Finland,

Interior’s High Arctic Outer Continental

Shelf Planning Areas.

One issue for the U.S. reliance on partnering with ICE Pact and NATO partners is the recent unpredictability in

White House policy in trading relation- ships, witnessed by an aggressive and ? uid situation around tariffs on key trading partners like Canada (although situation unclear on goods traded under the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), signed in 2018 and updated in 2019), the European Union, Japan and

South Korea and pressure on NATO al- lies to contribute more in ? nancial terms to the alliance. It does not mean that deals will not be made, but the environ- ment in which the deals are being made is not one of high con? dence.

Greenland is seen as a strategic and commercial asset for U.S. national security purposes. Greenland hosts the strategically import U.S. Pituf? k Space

Base, an important element of the pro- posed Golden Dome early warning and missile defense system. The President and various senior members of his www.marinelink.com 61

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