Bill authorizing new icebreakers passes

Alan Bailey

Petroleum News

On Aug. 1 the U.S. Senate passed a national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2019, authorizing among other things the construction of six heavy polar-class icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard. The bill now goes to the president for his signature.

“For the first time ever, the NDAA includes an authorization of up to six heavy, polar-class icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard - something that is long overdue,” said U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who had secured the icebreaker provision in the bill. “America is beginning to wake up to the strategic importance of the Arctic. This year’s authorization, coupled with an updated Department of Defense Arctic Strategy, starts to signal to the world, that because of Alaska, we are an Arctic nation and that we will protect our interests in this critical region.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed her support for the bill.

“The legislation bolsters our military’s cold weather capabilities, and sends a firm signal that Congress expects to see the construction of six new polar icebreakers,” Murkowski said.

The bill indicates a need to award a contract for the first of the new vessels by fiscal year 2019, with the vessel to go into service by fiscal year 2023.

Unfortunately, however, Congress has not yet approved the funding that is necessary to put the icebreaker plan into action. The Coast Guard has requested an appropriation of $750 million for the icebreaker program in fiscal year 2019. The Senate Appropriations Committee has passed a funding bill that includes $750 million in icebreaker funding, but the House of Representatives has not included the same level of funding in its equivalent bill, Murkowski’s office has told Petroleum News.

Currently the Coast Guard only operates two polar capable icebreakers: the Healy, a medium duty icebreaker, much used as a base for polar research, and the Polar Star, which is a heavy icebreaker but is 41 years old and nearing the end of its operational life. A third icebreaker, the Polar Sea, sister ship to the Polar Star, is laid up in port and has become a source of spare parts for the Polar Star. According to several reports, Russia has more than 40 icebreakers.

- ALAN BAILEY