US Coast Guard deploys two polar icebreakers to Arctic Ocean

For the first time in more than 10 years, the United States Coast Guard has two polar icebreakers operating in the Arctic Ocean at the same time. According to vessel tracking data, the Coast Guard Cutters Healy and Storis recently rendezvoused off the coast of Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands before splitting for separate missions.

Healy, the Coast Guard’s largest and most advanced polar icebreaker, has since steamed north to conduct its annual Arctic science mission. The smaller Storis, newly acquired and retrofitted from commercial service, was last seen in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and will embark on its first Arctic patrol.

This marks the first time since 2013 that the U.S. has deployed two polar icebreakers to the region simultaneously.

Rising Arctic competition

Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian and host of the YouTube channel “What’s Going on With Shipping?,” says the move highlights the United States’ effort to keep pace in a rapidly changing region.

“I think it provides more coverage for the United States,” Mercogliano said. “We’re seeing a massive increase in the number of vessels out there. China just went in with five vessels. If you look north of the Bering Sea, there are Chinese vessels operating. There’s a Korean vessel. There’s Swedish vessels. There’s a lot more traffic and presence in the region.”

Russia, in particular, has invested heavily in its Northern Sea Route, which enables cargo to move from Europe across the Arctic to the Pacific.

“Last year was record levels for them,” Mercogliano added. “And we’re seeing them top that time and time again.”

Recent Chinese activity in waters within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, north of Alaska, further underscores the need for a stronger American presence.

Meet the icebreakers

At 420 feet long and displacing 16,000 tons, the Healy is the larger of the two ships. Built for scientific research, it is equipped with more than 4,200 square feet of lab space, advanced sensors and the ability to break 4.5 feet of ice continuously at three knots. It also supports missions ranging from search and rescue to environmental protection.

The Storis, by comparison, is a 360-foot former commercial vessel that was purchased last year for $125 million and converted into a medium-sized icebreaker. It serves as a stopgap measure until the Coast Guard’s long-delayed Polar Security Cutters (PSCs) enter service.

The name Storis is a nod to a legendary cutter of the same name that patrolled the Arctic for nearly six decades after World War II.

Future icebreakers stuck in the slow lane

The United States’ long-term Arctic strategy hinges on the construction of the new Polar Security Cutters. As part of an agreement called the “ICE Pact,” the U.S., Canada and Finland are working together to design and build the vessels. The first in the class, Polar Sentinel, began construction this spring in Mississippi but will not be delivered until at least 2030.

That delay raised concern among maritime experts. The ICE Pact with Canada and Finland is intended to accelerate shipbuilding, but critics argue that it is currently moving at a glacial pace.

Until the new cutters are ready, the Coast Guard must rely on its small and aging fleet to maintain U.S. sovereignty and safeguard national interests in one of the world’s most strategically contested regions.