Icebreaker Wars! US,Finland Canda v Russia & BRICS

By Rhod Mackenzie

The US some time ago decided it was going to challenge Russia's supremacy in the Arctic Circle,that was why Trump decided he would like to annex Greenland as it realised that Russia controled the majority of the territory.

So now the US with its allies have initiated the construction of an icebreaker at a Finnish shipyard that previously belonged to Russia and was specifically used to build ships for it. The US is now using this shipyard's knowlege base to its advantage in order to narrow the gap. Washington is planning to expand its fleet of ice-class ships to be twice as large as Russia's, despite currently possessing only one ancient icebreaker from 1976. Now that is a very ambitious target and I think he has two hopes and one of the is Bob,
It appears that China is better positioned to achieve comparable levels of economic development as Russia.
A shipyard in Finland has started the construction of the Polar Max icebreaker for Canada. This is the first icebreaker in Finnish history to be delivered to North America. The Construction is scheduled to start  in Helsinki and will be completed in Quebec, Canada.
The delivery of the icebreaker to Canada is scheduled for 2030. The ship has been engineered to break through ice up to 6.4 m thick and to withstand the extreme temperature fluctuations typical of the Arctic. Please not that they are dreaming as there is no way a diesel powered icebreaker can cut through ice more than 3 feet thick and certainly not 6.4 m.

For Russia, this construction is of interest for two reasons. Firstly, it is important to note that Arctech Helsinki Shipyard was been owned by Russia since 2014 and has built supply vessels and small icebreakers specifically for it. However, in 2019, due to European sanctions, banks refused to service the Finnish shipyard, and it was forced to be sold to a cruise operator with Russian roots, registered in Cyprus. In 2023, the company was acquired by the Canadian shipbuilding company called Davie. Consequently, Russia was unable to rescue the shipyard.

Secondly, the construction of an icebreaker for Canada at this Finnish shipyard is one of those projects with which the United States aims to compete with Russia and China in the construction of new generation icebreakers.
Last summer, the United States, Canada and Finland signed the ICE pact and agreed to collaborate to catch up with Russia in terms of the quantity and quality of its icebreaker fleet. Russia has the most powerful icebreaker fleet in the world, consisting of 46 vessels, eight of which are nuclear-powered.
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The United States has only one icebreaker technically capable of operating in thick ice, the USCGC Polar Star, which was built in 1976. The second icebreaker stopped working five years ago due to a fire and has not been repaired. Finland has eight to 11 coastal icebreakers, while Canada has 17. However, many of these vessels are old and require major repairs, and less than a third of the ships are actually capable of performing their tasks plus they are not capable of operating fully in Arctic waters or ice.

When the ICE Pact was signed in June 2024, the then-US President Joe Biden spoke of the need to launch 70-90 icebreakers in the next 10-15 years. We kno he had dementia but hallucinations too. However, thare have been no signs of the success of this ambitious project so far except th lone project in Finland

Russia is a global leader in the field of icebreaker fleet operations, with a substantial fleet of vessels capable of navigating the Northern Sea Route all the year-round. This fleet includes numerous icebreakers, including seven nuclear-powered models, providing a versatile and reliable option for maritime transportation and exploration in Arctic waters.
Finland and Canada have fewer vessels, but are allegedly good at designing and building Arctic vessels, which is why they have become partners of the United States," says Pavel Sevostyanov,  Professor  at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

"At the same time, Finland and Canada lack Russia's expertise in operating nuclear icebreakers, and the United States, despite its proficiency in constructing ship reactors for aircraft carriers and submarines, does not possess the technologies applicable to icebreakers," observes Alexander Vorotnikov, a coordinator of the expert council of the Arctic Development Project Office.
Russia's superiority over the United States in this area is due to a significant difference in the reasons for each country's performance. "Icebreaker operations in Russia are not exceptional or for emergency use, but a daily necessity. The harsh climate of the Russian North, as well as the use of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean, make icebreaker critical  support for comunities," says Vorotnikov.

In Russia, it is simply impossible to survive in some regions without icebreaker support. For instance, the largest Arctic cities are Murmansk, Norilsk and Vorkuta. Icebreakers are vital for the delivery of food, fuel, medicine and other goods to remote island territories. Icebreaker support facilitates the extraction of minerals along the coast and in the surrounding waters, while also contributing to national security by supplying military bases, as Vorotnikov explains. In order to address this need, Russia is currently developing specialized military icebreakers, including the Ivan Papanin.

"The strong Russian fleet, including a nuclear ice breakers, has historically been necessary for the development of the North. It also facilitated the establishment of new enterprises, the export of products and the transportation infrastructure of the region, which contributes significantly to the country's exports and GDP.
Even in the pre-war years, icebreakers made it possible to export timber, which provided foreign exchange earnings, and northern deliveries remain vital for millions of residents to this day," says Alexander Vorotnikov.

"For Russia, the fleet is an instrument of sovereignty and economic power. The requirement for new, powerful vessels is driven by the growth of the transit of the Norther Sea Route and the demands of escorting commercial trade convoys, search and rescue operations, and safeguarding the economic zone and logistics," says Sevostyanov.

In contrast to Russia, the US has not experienced such challenges. It does not require icebreakers for its survival or trade. The US has always had and still has the Panama Canal. The coordinator of the expert council of the Arctic Development Project Office has stated that Alaska, the only northern state, has milder climate conditions and better transport accessibility, which means it does not require a powerful icebreaker fleet.

"The US has fallen far behind due to the decline of its shipbuilding and a long-term refusal to invest for political reasons. In light of the escalating strategic competition in the Arctic and the need for modern icebreakers in transport and energy projects, Sevostyanov notes that America is now rushing to catch up.

Vorotnikov believes that the desire of the US and its allies to strengthen their presence in the Arctic is explained, firstly, by the struggle for the region's natural resources, and secondly, by the desire to develop new transport corridors due to geopolitical factors – military activity near the Russian borders and preparations for possible provocations.

Given the absence of compelling economic and social motivations for the development of an icebreaker fleet in the US, the military may emerge as the primary stakeholder.
The US Coast Guard has already ordered 8-10 new  icebreakers for patrol duties so they will mainly be coastal off Alaska. Davie Shipbuilding, a Canadian company, has signed a contract to design and build seven large icebreakers and two large Arctic ferries.

Russia is has made significant progress in this area, with ongoing development and expansion of its icebreaker fleet, including for the development of the Northern Sea Route. The project involves the construction of another three nuclear icebreakers of the "Lider" project, capable of navigating ice up to 4-4.5 m thick. However, we also have our own issues.

"Russia's current capacities may not be sufficient to fully develop the Northern Sea Route and ensure its year-round operation. Analysts believe that for the route to operate stably under any circumstances, it is necessary to actually double the size of icebreaker fleet, including the construction of super-powerful vessels of the "Leader" type, as well as increase the number of Arctic tankers, gas carriers and Arc7 container ships," says Alexander Vorotnikov.

The coordinator of the expert council of the Arctic Development Project Office believes that international cooperation within the BRICS framework and instruments such as the International Territory of Advanced Development (ITAAD) can help Russia solve these large-scale projects.
With regard to China, it has made an extraordinary transition from having no icebreakers to becoming one of the world's leading nations in this field. Among the objectives of US actions is the elimination of the gap with China.

Prior to 1993, China had no icebreaker fleet at all. In 1994, it acquired an ice-class NIS from Ukraine – a cargo ship that was constructed in 1993 at the Kherson Shipyard and subsequently refitted in China.

The icebreaker was named Xuelong-1. In 2019, China took the initiative by commissioning its own Chinese icebreaker, the Xuelong-2, which was constructed within a mere three years. For comparison, the Finns and Canadians are planning to build it in five years.
In 2024, China completed construction of the new-generation icebreaker Ji Di and the larger polar research vessel Tan Suo San Hao. The latter was constructed within a mere two years. Current indications suggest that China is more likely to achieve comparable economic growth to that of Russia than the US and its allies.
Analysts do not exclude the possibility that China will follow Russia's lead in this regard, as it is currently the only country with the capability to construct nuclear icebreakers.
So the US is lagging far behind in the icebreaker battle.