Icebreakers – Professional Mariner

23 Jan

Polar Star marks 50 years by freeing cruise ship from ice

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, U.S. Coast Guard

(SOUTHERN OCEAN) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star began icebreaking operations in the Southern Ocean in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2026 and marked its 50th year of commissioned service Saturday by freeing and escorting a cruise ship trapped in pack ice. The Australian-owned cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II contacted Polar Star at approximately 11 p.m. local time…

29 Dec

Bollinger gets contract for up to four Arctic security cutters

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, shipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday announced the award of two contracts to build up to six Arctic security cutters (ASCs), ships designed to break through and navigate ice-covered waters. Contracts were awarded to Rauma Marine Constructions of Rauma, Finland, and Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, La. The Arctic security cutters will defend U.S. sovereignty, secure critical shipping lanes,…

04 Dec

Icebreakers in Texas? Davie closes Gulf Copper acquisition

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, shipbuilding

(GALVESTON, Texas and WASHINGTON) — Davie Defense on Tuesday announced the closing of the acquisition of Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp.’s shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas. The completion of the transaction includes all required U.S. government approvals, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). As part of the Inocea Group, the acquisition makes…

28 Nov

Polar Star heads to Antarctica on annual resupply mission

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, U.S. Coast Guard

(SEATTLE) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) departed Seattle on Thursday, commencing its 29th deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze. Operation Deep Freeze is an annual joint military mission to resupply the United States Antarctic stations in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the lead agency for the U.S. Antarctic Program. As…

10 Oct

Bollinger, Finnish yard to build first Arctic security cutters

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, shipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — President Trump on Thursday announced that Bollinger Shipyards, in conjunction with Rauma Marine Constructions, Seaspan Shipyards and Aker Arctic Technology Inc., will lead an effort to supply six Arctic security cutters under an initiative to deliver next-generation icebreakers to the U.S. Coast Guard by 2028, USNI News reported. “We sort of have almost a monopoly on icebreakers if…

06 Oct

Newest Coast Guard icebreaker completes first patrol

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, shipbuilding

(SEATTLE) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Storis (WAGB 21), the service’s newest commissioned icebreaker, arrived in Seattle on Friday after completing its 112-day inaugural patrol. Storis departed Pascagoula, Miss., on June 1, then transited the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean en route to conduct its first Arctic patrol operating north of the Bering Strait to control, secure and defend…

26 Sep

Polar Star returns home after service life extension

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, Security, U.S. Coast Guard

(SEATTLE) — After 308 days away from its Seattle home port, the 49-year-old U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned home Tuesday. Upon completing Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025, Polar Star returned directly to Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, Calif., to complete the final year of a five-year Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). Polar Star's…

08 Sep

Weakley: Great Lakes icebreaker gap threatens U.S. maritime dominance

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Icebreakers

When Americans think of our coastlines, most picture the beaches of the Atlantic, the Pacific, or the Gulf. But the Great Lakes are America’s fourth coast – a 2,300-mile expanse reaching deep into the nation’s industrial heartland. Each year, this system moves more than 135 million tons of cargo worth over $26 billion, carrying the raw materials that power American…

25 Aug

Helsinki yard cuts steel on Canada’s next polar icebreaker

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, shipbuilding

(LEVIS, Quebec) — In a historic milestone for the Canadian shipbuilding industry, Davie on Wednesday officially began construction of the Polar Max icebreaker, a vessel that, once delivered by 2030, will redefine Canada’s Arctic capabilities. Uniquely, Polar Max will be constructed through an innovative industrial collaboration between Canadian-controlled facilities in Helsinki, Finland, and Levis, Quebec. Construction on the Polar Max…

19 Aug

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain recognized as Great Lakes champion

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Icebreakers, Ports

(PORT HURON, Mich.) — On Monday, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., for her efforts advocating for the Great Lakes Navigation System and those who live and work on or near the Fourth Sea Coast. "It is an incredible honor to be recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Great Lakes Maritime…