Bollinger Shipyards announced December 29th it has signed a contract with the U.S. Coast Guard for the construction of four Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs), a new class of medium polar icebreakers that will expand America’s operational presence in the Arctic.
The contract formalizes Bollinger’s leading role in the historic U.S.–Finland collaboration announced earlier this fall by the White House. Bollinger will construct ASCs based on the Multi-Purpose Icebreaker design by Seaspan Shipyards of Vancouver, Canada, developed with Aker Arctic Technology Inc of Helsinki, Finland. To support the objectives of the White House, Bollinger has worked in close partnership with Rauma Marine Construction Oy, a Finnish shipyard, to ensure that the US receives these icebreaking capabilities as rapidly as possible.
Work on the four Bollinger-built ASCs will be based at its shipyard in Houma, Louisiana. Construction of the ASCs will be supported by the company’s workforce at multiple facilities across America’s Gulf Coast to meet the aggressive schedule set forth by President Trump.
“The Arctic Security Cutter is one of the most consequential and time-sensitive shipbuilding programs in U.S. Coast Guard history, and today’s contract award is a clear vote of confidence in the men and women of Bollinger,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “The program will be Bollinger’s fifth class of cutters built for the Coast Guard, building on our current Sentinel and Polar Security Cutter programs and more than 40 years of experience in delivering over 187 cutters for the service. With clear direction from President Trump and an aggressive delivery timeline, our mission is straightforward: leverage the full strength of our shipbuilding facilities across the Gulf Coast, along with our proven partners, to deliver these cutters on schedule and mission ready on day one.”
“By centering ASC construction in Houma, Louisiana, while drawing on our broader footprint, we gain the flexibility and capacity to move fast without compromising safety or quality,” Bordelon added. “These ships will operate in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. Our responsibility is to deliver a stable, reliable platform that Coast Guard crews can trust from their first mission underway and for decades to come.”
The contract for four Bollinger-built ASCs is part of a broader program that will ultimately field up to eleven Arctic Security Cutters under the trilateral ICE Pact framework. Together with the ongoing Polar Security Cutter program, ASC will provide the Coast Guard with a modern, layered icebreaking fleet capable of enforcing U.S. sovereignty, protecting American interests against global threats and enabling year-round operations as commercial activity and strategic competition accelerate in the Arctic.