International Consortium Formed to Build Icebreaker Ships

The U.S., Canada, and Finland are forming the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort to build icebreaker ships, countering Russian and Chinese activity in polar regions. This initiative will be unveiled during a NATO summit and aims to produce a fleet of icebreakers to project power and enforce international norms.

The U.S., Canada, and Finland will establish a consortium to build icebreaker ships, according to a senior U.S. administration official. This move is designed to bolster the allies' shipbuilding capabilities and counter Russia and China in strategically important polar regions.

The initiative, known as the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort or ICE pact, will be announced during a three-day NATO summit in Washington. The pact aims to create a fleet of icebreaking ships to project power in polar regions and enforce international norms and treaties, according to a senior U.S. official. 'Without this arrangement, we'd risk our adversaries developing an advantage in a specialized technology with vast geostrategic importance,' the official stated.

The deal, expected to be signed by year-end, will pool demand among the three countries to increase shipbuilding capacity and send a clear message to Russia and China. U.S. lawmakers and experts have been concerned about the decline in U.S. shipbuilding while China produces naval ships at unprecedented rates. The official noted that the U.S. currently has only two aging icebreakers and aims to significantly increase production under the pact.

(With inputs from agencies.)