Feb. 22, 2018 —
The integrated polar icebreaker program office achieved a milestone Feb. 21 when it received approval from the Department of Homeland Security to advance to the next phase of the acquisition life cycle.
The department’s approval allows the integrated program office, which includes Navy and Coast Guard personnel, to proceed with a planned release of a request for proposal (RFP) for detail design and construction of a lead heavy polar icebreaker. A draft RFP was released last October. The delivery target for the first new heavy polar icebreaker is 2023.
The Coast Guard’s operational polar icebreaking fleet currently includes one heavy icebreaker, Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, and one medium icebreaker, Coast Guard Cutter Healy. A second heavy icebreaker, Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea, is in inactive status.
For more information: Polar Security Cutter Program page