On October 9, 2025, President Donald J. Trump announced at a White House event that Bollinger Shipyards in partnership with Rauma Marine Constructions, Seaspan Shipyards, and Aker Arctic, has been selected to build six new Arctic Security Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard. The Bollinger-led team will leverage the mature and production-ready Multi-Purpose Icebreaker design, developed by Seaspan and Aker Arctic for allied missions in extreme polar environments.
“Today’s award is a testament to President Trump’s leadership and his historic investment in America’s maritime industrial base,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “We appreciate the trust President Trump has placed in the skilled men and women of Bollinger Shipyards and stand ready to begin construction on these critical vessels on day one. The Arctic Security Cutter will enable the United States to rapidly project American power, enforce our sovereignty, and reassert American dominance in the arctic.”
Bollinger and its partners will be responsible for the construction of six state-of-the-art icebreakers. The first three vessels will be built simultaneously by Rauma in Finland and Bollinger in the United States, with production of the remaining three vessels to be built in the United States. Delivery of the first three vessels is expected within 36 months of the contract award.
“The United States Coast Guard is placing its trust in Rauma Marine Constructions’ proven shipbuilding capability. With a hot production line and our ice-class experience, we are ready to deliver the Arctic Security Cutters on an accelerated timeline in close cooperation with our U.S. partner and allied industry. Together, we will provide the Coast Guard with the world’s most capable Arctic security vessels,” said Mika Nieminen, CEO of Rauma Marine Constructions.
The award delivers on President Trump’s and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s calls to rebuild U.S. polar capacity, strengthen the industrial base, and secure long-term American presence in the Arctic.
“Thanks to President Trump, this historic Memorandum of Understanding is a great win for our state that further cements Southeast Louisiana as a leader in America’s domestic shipbuilding industry,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). “I am proud to represent the only shipbuilder in the United States in Bollinger Shipyards that has the capability, capacity and expertise to begin construction on these critical vessels on day one that will project American power and dominance in the Arctic.”
The Seaspan-Aker MPI design has already undergone significant engineering, testing, and integration work, enabling the team to proceed immediately to production. The partnership structure ensures speed to delivery, cost certainty, and seamless interoperability with the Canadian Coast Guard.
“Seaspan is extremely proud to work hand in hand with our American and Finnish partners, Bollinger, Aker and Rauma, to provide the U.S. Coast Guard with a state-of-the-art icebreaker design that is mission ready for extreme ice conditions and will fortify and strengthen Arctic security,” says John McCarthy, CEO Seaspan Shipyards. “This contract award demonstrates Seaspan’s world-class marine engineering and design capabilities on the global stage, and further expands North America’s capacity to design, build, and export Arctic-going vessels.”
“Aker Arctic is honored to bring our proven icebreaker expertise to this partnership. The Arctic Security Cutters program is a milestone for allied Arctic collaboration, and we are proud to help deliver world-class capability for the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Mika Hovilainen, CEO of Aker Arctic.
Under the ICE Pact trilateral framework between the United States, Canada, and Finland, this program represents a model for allied industrial collaboration. The parallel construction of the first three vessels at Rauma and Bollinger will rapidly accelerate early delivery while ensuring a stable foundation for full domestic production in the United States. Bollinger will assume full program leadership for U.S.-based construction and long-term sustainment.
With the ability to break four feet of ice, travel 12,000 nautical miles, and operate for over 60 days, the Arctic Security Cutters is purpose-built to support the evolving mission needs of the U.S. Coast Guard in the harshest conditions. Additionally, its shared multi-mission design with the Canadian Coast Guard fleet will create the largest class of icebreaking capability in the world, optimizing interoperability and maintenance support. The Arctic Security Cutters fleet will enable year-round access to polar regions for national defence, maritime sovereignty, scientific research and search and rescue operations. With this new class of vessels, the United States takes a major step forward in asserting leadership in the Arctic.
In addition to the Bollinger-led team, Canada’s Davie Shipyards will also contribute to the Arctic Security Cutters program by building a separate class of vessels on their fourth-generation Multi-Purpose Polar Support Ship design.
