The Russian nuclear icebreakerYakutiya sails through the Galerny fairway during sea trials in St. Petersburg.
Photographer: Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Nations Aiming for Arctic Power Can’t Get Enough of These Ships
The US and Canada want more icebreakers to counter Russia and China in the Arctic, as the polar region — and competition for it — heats up.
At a shipyard in Finland last month, workers cut the first steel for a new icebreaker ship. Over the next three years, about 10,000 tons of the metal will go into the hull before the vessel is carried across the ocean to Quebec for completion.
The CCGS Arpatuuq, expected to launch in 2030, will be the first heavy icebreaker built — at least partly — in Canada in more than half a century. The C$3.3 billion ($2.4 billion) ship will be 139 meters (about 450 feet) long, with a helipad, hangar and room for 100 crew members. “Moon pools” located at midship will provide direct access to the Arctic Ocean for polar research and, potentially, military surveillance.