Bollinger Shipyards has begun the construction of the US Coast Guard’s initial vessel planned under the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) program.
The PSC effort will replace the service’s aging ships deployed for national, maritime, commercial, and economic security support across the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the 2030s.
The assembly is now taking place at the company’s facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi, marking the first local heavy polar icebreaker development in the US in over 50 years.
Alongside the lead cutter, the milestone greenlights work for eight prototype fabrication assessment units to refine associated construction approaches and skills of the shipbuilder’s workforce in preparation for a wider full-production phase.
To date, the coast guard employs a single heavy icebreaker, the 399-foot (122-meter) USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) commissioned in the late 70s, and a single medium icebreaker, the USCGC Healy (WAGB-20), commissioned in 1999.
USCGC Polar Sentinel
The first modern PSC will bear the name USCGC Polar Sentinel and will measure about 460 feet (140 meters) long.
It will be powered by a diesel-electric engine with 45,200 horsepower, enabling movements through ice up to 8 feet (2 meters) thick.
The ship will be able to accommodate more than 180 people and sail for up to 90 days.
The Polar Sentinel will be armed with 30-millimeter autocannons and .50-caliber heavy machine guns. Additionally. It will have a hangar and a dedicated landing pad for a maritime helicopter.
Temporary Icebreaker Acquired
The announcement followed the US Coast Guard’s decision in November to procure a commercial vessel that will sustain the force’s operational requirements across the polar regions until the new PSC fleet arrives by the end of the decade.
This ship, named the MV Aiviq, measures 360 feet (110 meters) and was initially used for oil and towing-related tasks under the maritime transportation company Offshore Service Vessels.
