The U.S. Coast Guard completed the second tranche of its shipbuilding effort for the new Arctic Security Cutter program, awarding a contract to the U.S.-based subsidiary of Davie for five additional cutters. The order comes almost two months after the U.S. Coast Guard completed a similar order for six Arctic Security Cutters with Bollinger and Rauma Yards in Finland.
Davie’s Helsinki Shipyard in Finland will lead the project, starting work on the first two vessels and providing the design and expertise for the cutters. No details were offered on the specifics of the cutters, other than that they would be based on a proven platform with seven previous variants built by the Helsinki Yard.
Like the first order, the USCG is turning to Finland because of its developed expertise and supplier networks to speed delivery of the vessels. The Coast Guard says the first Arctic Security Cutter is expected in early 2028. American shipbuilders from Davie Defense will also work alongside the teams in Helsinki to learn from their Finnish counterparts, as Davie will build three additional cutters at its facilities in Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.
The Biden administration laid the groundwork by launching the ICE Pact initiative in 2024, which called for Finland, Canada, and the U.S. to cooperate on the construction of a new generation of Arctic icebreakers. Donald Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2025, and the three countries reiterated the trilateral effort in November 2025.
With this order, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized that the USCG completed the awarding of a total of 11 Arctic Security Cutters, fulfilling Donald Trump’s directive to rapidly expand America’s icebreaker fleet. She said it is part of the effort to revitalize the U.S. icebreaker fleet for the Arctic and Alaska and that the vessels would be used to secure critical shipping lanes, protect energy and mineral resources, and monitor the Alaskan borders.
Helsinki Shipyard, which was acquired by Davie in November 2023, is already building Canada’s Polar Max icebreaker. The vessel will be 22,800 tonnes with a length of 138.5 meters (454 feet) and is due for delivery by 2030 and is based on Aker Arctic’s original Aker ARC 148 hull form.
The shipyard reported in November 2025 that it was making an investment of approximately €7.5 million ($8.9 million) for renovations, including two new intermediate gates to be installed in the 280-meter construction hall. It said it would improve the efficiency of the Helsinki Shipyard and increase the possibilities for the simultaneous construction process of several ships.
Davie Defense was launched last fall as the U.S. arm of INOCEA, a UK-owned maritime group that owns Davie in Canada and Helsinki Yard in Finland. The group also announced the acquisition of Gulf Cooper & Manufacturing’s shipbuilding assets in Galveston and Port Arthur. It said it intended to develop the yards into an “Icebreaker factory.”
Concurrent with the announcement of the order from the USCG, Davie Defense announced it will expand its shipbuilding capacity in Texas with 2,400 new jobs, representing more than $730 million in capital investment. A Texas Enterprise Fund extended a grant of $21.8 million to Davie Defense.
The USCG, at the end of December 2025, entered into a contract with Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions for two Arctic Security Cutters to be built in Finland, with the delivery of the first vessel expected in 2028. The Finnish company will also work with Bollinger Shipyard, which will leverage the Finnish design and expertise in building four Arctic Security Cutters at its shipyard in Houma, Louisiana. The first domestic cutter, they report, is expected in 2029. All these vessels will be based on designs developed by Seaspan Shipyards in Canada in coordination with Finland’s Aker Arctic Technology.
Originally designed for the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) long-range, multi-mission operations in extreme Arctic conditions, the Polar Class 4 icebreakers will have a capability to break through four feet of ice and travel 12,000 nautical miles, operating for up to 60 days. They are approximately 9,000 tons displacement (7,600 gross tons) with a length of 328 feet (100 meters). They will carry a complement of approximately 85.
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