U.S. Coast Guard Announces Homeport for Icebreaker Aiviq

The U.S. Coast Guard will homeport its commercial icebreaker Aiviq in Juneau.

The vessel was originally built as an Arctic oil exploration support vessel and has sufficient icebreaking capability to serve as a Coast Guard medium polar icebreaker, after modification.

The Coast Guard has received $125 million in fiscal year 2024 to purchase a commercial icebreaker. Currently, the Aiviq is the only commercial vessel built in the United States that meets the necessary icebreaker standards. The service expects the vessel to reach initial operating capability in two years.

“The United States is an Arctic nation, and the Coast Guard is essential to ensuring a presence in our sovereign waters and the polar regions,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, vice commandant of the Coast Guard. “As we continue to build the Polar Security Patrol Vessels, acquiring a commercially available polar icebreaker will allow the Coast Guard to increase its national presence in the Arctic, and homeporting this patrol vessel in Alaska demonstrates the Service’s unwavering commitment to the region.”

Since 1965, the Coast Guard has been the sole provider of U.S. polar icebreaker capability and is seeking to augment its icebreaker fleet with new Polar Security Cutters. The Coast Guard currently operates two polar icebreakers, the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a medium polar icebreaker, and the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, the only U.S. heavy polar icebreaker.