Written by
Nick Blenkey
M/V Aiviq off Alaska in 2012. [USCG photograph]
Alaska U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (each R.-Alaska) and Consultant Mary Peltola (D.-Alaska) in the present day introduced that they’ve efficiently secured federal funding for the acquisition of a commercially out there Icebreaker by the U.S. Coast Guard. Although the legislators didn’t state the title of the icebreaker, essentially the most ceaselessly talked about candidate vessel has been Edison Chouest Offshore’s M/V Aiviq. Again in Could 2022, the Coast Guard issued an RFI searching for to establish business vessels out there for buy that have been constructed at a U.S. shipyard and are able to working in or across the Arctic. The USCG stated within the RFI that was trying to establish business vessels out there for buy in 2023 or 2024 and assembly necessities that, primarily, made the Aiviq seem like the one potential selection.
Again in 2017, Aiviq was one in every of a number of candidate vessels urged for conversion to Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers by Davie Shipyard beneath its Undertaking Resolute proposal.
In keeping with the legislators, the FY2024 Homeland Safety Appropriations Act contains $125 million to buy the icebreaker. The delegation has additionally secured commitments from the Coast Guard that the icebreaker will probably be homeported in Juneau, Alaska to afford the vessel higher entry and attain into the Arctic.
The FY 2024 Homeland Safety Appropriations Act is a part of the just-released Additional Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which the Home and Senate will take into account within the subsequent few days.
“The inclusion of funding for the primary icebreaker in a technology is critical progress for our state and our nation’s nationwide safety,” stated Senator Sullivan. “I not too long ago bought the Commandant of the Coast Guard to recommit to me that this icebreaker will probably be homeported in Alaska. Our nationwide safety pursuits within the Arctic have by no means been extra crucial. Since coming to the Senate, I’ve been working relentlessly to get up our federal authorities to the strategic significance of this area. The ocean change we’ve achieved since 2015 is unprecedented: Critical Arctic safety methods from the Division of Protection (DOD) and every of the army providers, a brand new DOD Arctic Safety Research Middle at JBER, a brand new Division of Homeland Safety Arctic Area Consciousness Middle at UAA, America’s first deep-water Arctic port in Nome, an enormous improve in Coast Guard vessels and infrastructure all through Alaska that I secured working with the earlier commandant, and now, we’ve secured funding for the primary further American icebreaker in a technology. We’ve much more work to do, however this is a crucial milestone and I do know that the whole neighborhood of Juneau is working laborious to arrange for it.”
“I’ve been preventing for many of my profession within the Senate to bolster America’s icebreaker fleet – and in the present day is a crucial milestone in that mission,” stated Senator Murkowski. “During the last eight years, I’ve overseen over a billion and half {dollars} in direction of the Polar Safety Cutter Program (PSC) in order that we are able to strategically compete within the Arctic. By the acquisition of this commercially out there icebreaker, and by defending in opposition to additional cuts to the PSC Program, our icebreaker fleet is again heading in the right direction. I’ve elevated this to the very best precedence inside the White Home and Congress – and I gained’t relaxation till our icebreaker fleet is the envy of the Arctic.”
“Including icebreaker to the Coast Guard’s fleet will permit the USA to conduct essential missions, mission American presence, and take a management place within the Arctic because it opens up,” stated Consultant Peltola. “Each Alaskan is aware of that our state makes the USA an Arctic nation, and that Arctic points are Alaskan points. It’s by no means been extra important for the USA to be a pacesetter within the Arctic, and it is a main step in that course.”
A backgrounder from the legislators notes that the USA presently has just one operational heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, and one medium icebreaker, the Healy, whereas Russia has 55 icebreakers and they’re constructing extra. By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is about to surpass the USA’ icebreaker fleet.
The delegation has lengthy since acknowledged this as a aggressive drawback within the Arctic and advocated for extra sources to bolster the USCG icebreaker fleet. The Coast Guard part of the FY 2024 Homeland Safety Appropriations Act allocates $125 million to buy the icebreaker, in order that the medium icebreaker could be out there to be used by the USCG.
This funding is a results of over 4 years of advocacy by Senator Sullivan and his colleagues within the Home of Representatives and Senate and engagement over the span of two Administrations with senior leaders within the USCG, Division of Homeland Safety, Nationwide Safety Council, Workplace of Administration & Funds. Senator Sullivan supplied particular authorization for the acquisition of the vessel and supplied expedited procurement authority for the vessel as a part of the Don Younger Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022. That invoice additionally licensed the conveyance of two.4 acres of waterfront property from NOAA to the Coast Guard to facilitate the icebreaker homeporting in Juneau. That switch was accomplished on February 7, 2024.
Senator Sullivan additionally put a maintain on sure USCG promotions till the Coast Guard produced a protracted promised examine on the homeporting of an icebreaker in Alaska—which finally really helpful Juneau as the popular homeporting location.
Within the Home, Consultant Peltola labored with colleagues on each side of the aisle to make sure Decrease 48 members would assist the acquisition of a brand new icebreaker, placing stress on Democratic management to safe this key precedence for Alaska.
The delegation makes no point out of what the price of conversion of the Aiviq could be or how lengthy it might take. A simply up to date Congressional Analysis Service Report notes that the Aiviq was constructed by Edison Chouest in 2012 for $200 million was meant for Shell’s oil exploration within the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Its ice classification would accommodate work within the Arctic for six months of the 12 months and in Antarctica for 4 months of the 12 months, however it might require important modifications to adapt it to the
Coast Guard’s specs.
