Coast Guard officials announced the commercial icebreaker Aiviq will be purchased and homeported in Juneau, Alaska, to serve as an interim medium polar icebreaker while the service proceeds with its Polar Security Cutter program.
Originally built as an anchor handling supply tug with icebreaking capability, the Aiviq will undergo modification for Coast Guard service and be ready for “initial operational capability in two years,” according to an Aug. 14 statement.
“The United States is an Arctic nation, and the Coast Guard is vital to providing presence in our sovereign waters and the polar regions,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, Coast Guard vice commandant. “As we continue to build the Polar Security Cutters, acquiring a commercially available polar icebreaker will enable the Coast Guard to increase our national presence in the Arctic, and homeporting this cutter in Alaska demonstrates the Service’s steadfast commitment to the region.”
Alaska’s Congressional delegation obtained a $125 million appropriation in fiscal year 2024 to purchase the Edison Chouest vessel.
Best known for its role in Royal Dutch Shell’s ill-fated Arctic drilling attempts, the 360’8”x80’x34’ Aiviq was built expressly for that venture by North American Shipbuilding, Larose, La., and delivered in March 2012.
Proposals for the Coast Guard to operate the Aiviq go back years.
In July 2016, the late Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, called for the Coast Guard to consider leasing the Aiviq as a fallback for icebreaking duties — insurance against a major casualty with the Polar Star, the remaining 41-year-old 399’ heavy icebreaker, or the 420’ Healy medium icebreaker launched in 1997.
