Why the US is buying icebreakers from Finland amid the Greenland dispute

Finland is a world leader in the design and construction of icebreakers Aker Arctic Technology via BBC While US President Donald Trump insists that the United States needs to take ownership of Greenland, its growing interest in the Arctic region has led Washington to order new icebreakers. And, to build these ships, capable of navigating seas covered in solid ice, the United States turned to the country that is a global expert on the subject: Finland. In the Aker Arctic Technology ice laboratory, temperatures are below freezing. A scale model of an icebreaker sails in a 70-meter-long simulation tank. The model cuts a clean channel through the frozen surface of the water. Undergoing testing at a factory in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, this is a design for the country’s next generation of icebreakers. “It is essential that it has structural strength and sufficient engine power,” explains engineer Riikka Matala, who specializes in ice performance. Why Trump says Greenland is vital to building Golden Dome The company’s executive director, Mika Hovilainen, highlights that the shape of the ship is also crucial. “It must have a hull shape that breaks the ice by bending it downwards,” he explains. “No cutting, no slicing.” Finland is the undisputed world leader in icebreakers. Finnish companies designed 80% of all ships of this type currently in operation and 60% were built in the country’s shipyards. The Finns reached the top spot in the sector out of necessity, according to Maunu Visuri, president and chief executive of the Finnish state company Arctia, which operates a fleet of eight icebreakers. “This is the only country in the world where all ports can freeze during winter,” he explains. Visuri highlights that 97% of products imported by the country arrive by sea. New icebreakers in the Trump era During the colder months, icebreakers keep Finnish ports open and serve to guide large cargo ships. “It’s a vital need for Finland, continues Visuri. “We often say that Finland is an island.” It was this experience that led Donald Trump to announce in October that the United States planned to order four icebreakers from Finland for the US Coast Guard. Another seven ships, which the US calls “Arctic security patrols”, will be built in the US, using Finnish designs and technology. “We are buying the best icebreakers in the world and Finland is known for its manufacturing”, declared Trump. Aker Arctic Technology continues to test designs for the next generation of icebreaker ships Adrienne Murray via BBC American legislation determines that the country’s Navy and Coast Guard ships must be built on national territory. But, in this case, Trump discarded this requirement for “national security reasons”. The Arctic Ocean will become more navigable for cargo ships, at least if icebreakers open the way. This phenomenon opens up trade routes between Asia and Europe, whether through northern Russia or Alaska, to mainland Canada and down through Greenland. The reduction in ice levels also makes Arctic oil and gas deposits more accessible. icebreaker that lives in Helsinki. “There is an active oil and gas exploration and extraction industry in Russia, as well as a new transshipment route emerging between Europe and Asia,” he adds. Following Trump’s preliminary announcement, the first contracts were signed on December 29th. The first of them will be delivered in 2028. And another four will be built in the US state of Louisiana. The six ships, with diesel-electric propulsion, will follow a project by Aker Arctic Technology, in collaboration with its Canadian partner, Seaspan. The United States plans to purchase 11 icebreakers designed by Finland, like the one in the image. Russia currently has around 40 icebreakers, eight of which are nuclear-powered. The United States only has three in operation. China operates around five ships capable of sailing in the polar regions. “But they are increasing their fleet.” Arctic waters between Alaska and far eastern Russia, including regions that the United States considers its “exclusive economic zone” “With limited means to respond, this becomes a problem.” [para os Estados Unidos]”, according to the expert. Projecting power Trump’s desire to expand his fleet of icebreakers goes beyond the practical needs of operating in the Arctic seas, according to researcher Lin Mortensgaard, from the Danish Institute of International Studies. For her, it is also a question of projecting power. “No matter how many aircraft carriers you have and use them to threaten other countries, you cannot sail with an aircraft carrier in the central region of the Arctic Ocean”, she explains. “The Icebreakers are practically the only type of warship that allows you to demonstrate that you are an Arctic state with capabilities in the region. And I believe that’s what a lot of the American discourse is about.” Back in Finland, the Helsinki shipyard occupies a pier on the coast of the capital. That’s where half of the world’s icebreakers were manufactured. The shipyard is owned by the Canadian company Davie and also hopes to win new contracts from the American Coast Guard. “The geopolitical situation has definitely changed,” says the shipyard’s general director, Kim Salmi. “We have this neighbor of ours to the east. [a Rússia]. They are building their own new fleet. And the Chinese are building theirs too.” “The United States, Canada and Western allies in general are seeking a balance of power,” Salmi points out. Inside a huge shipbuilding hangar, workers cut and weld steel for the shipyard’s latest icebreaker, a large-capacity Arctic ship called Polarmax, destined for the Canadian Coast Guard. The Finns can build these complex ships incredibly quickly (in two and a half to three years), thanks to an optimized production method and decades of experience. “We have been practicing this for over 100 years,” explains Visuri. “There is a cycle made up of designers, operators and builders. That’s why Finland is the icebreaker superpower.”

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