Rauma's USCG Icebreaker Bid is Based on Canadian Coast Guard Design

Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) is rumored to be in the lead for the U.S. Coast Guard's newly-created Arctic Security Cutter contract, and it has partners, according to Finnish media.

Rauma is a well-regarded medium icebreaker yard, and it has delivered some well-known vessels, including the Fennica - the dual-purpose icebreaking offshore vessel that was chartered by Shell for its Alaska project. Earlier this month, RMC CEO Mika Nieminen returned from a business meeting with the U.S. Coast Guard and told outlet Satakunnan Kansa that his company was "number one" on the shortlist of bidders for the USCG's next medium icebreaker.

According to Helsingen Sanomat, Rauma has proposed to build five medium icebreakers for the USCG for a price of about $2.7 billion. Satakunnan Kansa reported that RMC is working in partnership with Canada's Seaspan Shipyards and the icebreaker design house Aker Arctic Technology Oy on the bid, which will be based on the Seaspan/Aker Multi-Purpose Icebreaker (MPI) design. (This was previously known as the Canadian Coast Guard's Multi-Purpose Vessel, or MPV.) The MPI is one of three icebreaker classes under Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy, and it is nearing production - but as Seaspan's yard is fully booked, the construction would be done at Rauma. The details of the bid were first reported by specialist news site Sixty Degrees North.

Illustrations courtesy Aker Arctic

The MPI closely fits the Coast Guard's request for information for a medium icebreaker from a proven shipyard. It is DP-enabled, has provisions for helicopter operations, and comes in just under 330 feet in length. It can make four knots in three feet of ice, and has an ample maximum range of 12,000 nautical miles.

The advantage of building at Rauma would be the timeline. The yard has delivered previous icebreakers in less than three years, a central - and thorny - condition of the Coast Guard's requirements. The service is said to be interested in taking delivery before the end of President Donald Trump's current term.

Funding for the program should not be a significant issue. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave the Coast Guard $25 billion for asset recapitalization, including $3.5 billion for the Arctic Security Cutter.