American shipbuilder Davie Defense has been awarded a contract by the United States Coast Guard to construct five Arctic Security Cutters (ASC), a new class of polar icebreaker intended to strengthen US presence in the High North. The award, announced in early 2026, forms part of a wider programme of up to 11 vessels authorised by Presidential Memorandum and represents one of the most significant US polar shipbuilding contracts in a generation.

 

The ASC is a substantial vessel: 99.9m in length, 21m in beam, displacing 9,000tonnes at normal operating draught of 7m. Ice Class PC3 rated, she is designed to maintain 3knots through 1.5m of ice. A diesel-electric propulsion system delivers 22MW of total installed power through two azimuth thrusters of 6.5MW each, supplemented by two 1.3MW bow thrusters, generating a bollard pull of 150tonnes.

 

Two independent engine rooms provide redundancy critical for operations in remote polar waters. Top speed is 16knots, with a range exceeding 6,500nm at 12knots in normal operating mode, extending beyond 12,000nm in high endurance configuration at deeper draught.

 

Endurance is up to 60 days, with accommodation for up to 124 crew and passengers. Mission payload capacity stands at 650m² of covered and uncovered main deck space, capable of carrying up to 17 TEU, ground vehicles, unmanned systems and boats. The vessel also carries a helicopter platform and hangar sized for the MH-60 and UAVs.

 

The design draws on a proven platform with seven previous variants delivered from Helsinki Shipyard, accumulating a combined 85 years of winter operation in Arctic regions. One vessel from the existing fleet has transited the Northeast Passage unescorted in 8.5 days, a data point that speaks directly to the platform’s operational credibility in the conditions the Coast Guard requires.

 

The programme’s construction strategy is split across two countries. To meet the accelerated delivery schedule, the first two hulls will be built at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, a sister facility within the UK-owned Inocea maritime group, targeting delivery of the inaugural vessel in 2028. The remaining three cutters will follow at Davie’s facilities in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas, yards acquired from Gulf Copper & Manufacturing in 2025 and bringing over 75 years of Gulf Coast fabrication experience.

 

The rationale for opening the programme in Finland is that no active American yard has the icebreaker construction expertise needed to hit the schedule. The technology transfer dimension is therefore the most industrially significant aspect of the contract.

 

US shipbuilders will work alongside Helsinki’s specialists during the Finnish builds to develop the domestic competency needed for series production in Texas. It is an ambitious timeline, and whether Galveston and Port Arthur can absorb that knowledge base within the compressed window of the first two hulls will be the programme’s defining industrial challenge.

 

The strategic impetus is clear. Russia operates the world’s largest icebreaker fleet, including nuclear-powered vessels capable of year-round polar transit, while China has been steadily expanding its polar capabilities.

 

The United States has operated with a critically thin polar fleet for decades, and the Presidential Memorandum authorising the ASC programme reflects a belated but determined effort to address that deficit.

 

Davie Defense sits within Inocea, a privately held British marine industrial group with operations across the US, Canada and Finland. The Coast Guard’s decision to award to a group with operationally proven icebreaker heritage, rather than a domestic yard learning the discipline from scratch, reflects the urgency of the delivery timeline.

 

With Arctic competition intensifying and the Polar Security Cutter programme still unresolved, Washington needed a credible near-term answer. The ASC’s specifications and its platform’s track record suggest the design is capable of providing one. Whether the industrial strategy can match the vessel’s ambition will become clear as the first hull takes shape in Helsinki.

 

Kai Skvarla, CEO of Davie Defense, said: “We’re deeply honoured by this vote of confidence. We can’t wait to get started on delivering mission-ready cutters to our valued US Coast Guard partner. By anchoring construction in Texas, while drawing on Helsinki Shipyard’s proven icebreaker expertise, we can deliver the ASCs to meet the Coast Guard’s operational needs in the world’s harshest environments.”

 

This article appeared in In depth, TNA Mar/Apr 2026

 

ARCTIC SECURITY CUTTER STATISTICS
Length	99.9m
Breadth	21m
Draught	6.5m-7.9m
Normal operation mode	7m draught
High endurance/max cargo mode	7.6m draught
Displacement	9,000tonnes
Ice Class PC3	1.5m ice@3knots. Breaks ice 5ft thick @3knots ahead and astern
Speed	16knots
Range	6,500+nm @12knots, normal operational mode; 12,000+nm @12knots, high endurance mode
Endurance	up to 60days
Crew/PAX	max 124
Machinery	Diesel-electric total installed power 22MW, two independant engine rooms
Propulsion	Azimuth thrusters (2x 6.5MW), bow thrusters (2x 1.3MW), bollard pull 150tonnes
Seakeeping	Roll reduction tanks for roll damping
Helicopter	Platform and hanger for MH-60 and UAVs
Mission payload capacity	650m2 covered/uncovered main deck space; e.g. 17TEU, ground vehicles, UXVs, boats
Large deck cranes	Loading and unloading; launch and recovery
Enclosed reconfigurable mission space	e.g. for medical treatment, disaster relief, vehicle transport, special mission equipment