Icebreakers cause waves in Washington

Obama administration, Congress wrestle with how to rebuild a fleet seen as increasingly vital as Arctic waters open up to industry

Wesley Loy

For Petroleum News

The future of the nation’s icebreaker fleet has become a very hot topic in Washington, D.C.

All involved agree that capable icebreakers will be needed as human activity increases in an increasingly open but still dangerously icy Arctic Ocean.

The problem is that the U.S. icebreaker fleet is old and broken down, with its two heavy icebreakers — those capable of Arctic and Antarctic operations in all seasons — laid up. The only other icebreaker is a medium duty vessel capable only of spring, summer and fall operations.

The Obama administration is at odds with some members of Congress as to how to shore up the icebreaker fleet, seen as vital as the shipping, oil and gas and possibly other industries make greater use of the Arctic. The U.S. Coast Guard, which operates the icebreakers, also has a commitment to support the Navy in far-north waters.

Hobbled fleet

The Polar Sea, brought into service in 1978, experienced major engine problems in 2010 and is now being decommissioned.

The Polar Star, commissioned in 1976, has been in “caretaker status” since 2006 and is now undergoing a $62.8 million overhaul. It’s expected to be ready for duty in 2013.

The Coast Guard’s third icebreaker, the Healy, is operational and is only 11 years old, but it’s used largely for scientific missions and doesn’t have the power of the Polar boats.

Recently, a number of studies have been done suggesting the Coast Guard lacks the assets to fulfill its icebreaking mission. Some suggests that new, and more, icebreakers are needed and might be a more cost-effective strategy than rehabilitating old vessels.

Upgrading the icebreaker fleet involves potentially enormous costs. One study provided to Congress in July suggested the Coast Guard actually needs six to 10 icebreakers. An estimated $4.1 billion to $6.9 billion would be needed to acquire new vessels or reconstruct old ones.

Differing congressional approaches

The House of Representatives on Nov. 15 passed a Coast Guard bill, H.R. 2838, requiring the Coast Guard to decommission the Polar Sea within six months, and the Polar Star within three years.

It’s not that supporters of the bill want fewer icebreakers. Rather, some are dissatisfied with the Obama administration’s approach.

“Out of frustration with the Administration’s inability to prioritize our icebreaking needs, this bill attempts to force the Administration’s hand by decommissioning our two heavy-duty polar icebreakers,” U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said in a Nov. 15 press release.

Young has introduced another bill to allow the Coast Guard to lease icebreakers.

The House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing Dec. 1 to look at the Coast Guard’s Arctic role.

“The Coast Guard’s ability to respond to emerging threats and emergencies in the Arctic is less today than it has been at any point in the past 50 years,” said the subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J. “It is time that we stop wasting money on old, ineffective assets and focus instead on acquiring assets that will provide the capabilities we will need as we continue to increase our foothold in the Arctic.”

Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell testified at the hearing and said: “It is time for the nation to act — and act now — to add new polar class icebreakers to the United States Coast Guard’s fleet.”

Democrats in Congress have taken a different tack on the icebreaker issue. U.S. Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Maria Cantwell of Washington in September introduced legislation to prevent the decommissioning and scrapping of the Polar Sea.

Begich, chairman of a subcommittee with Coast Guard oversight, said in a press release “it makes no sense to decommission and scrap a perfectly serviceable vessel.”