Icebreaking Anchor Handling Vessel Aiviq
There have been several reports like this one, that, if as expected, the Coast Guard buys what is apparently the only US built commercially owned icebreaker, that it will be based in Juneau.
This choice of homeport is something of a surprise. I would have thought Seattle, Kodiak, Anchorage, or even Dutch Harbor before Juneau, but it is the Capital of Alaska. It may have been seen as offering more amenities than Kodiak. It is a cruise destination.
Thanks to David for bringing this to my attention.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
i’d imagine it was based on draft/water depth and available berthing. Kodiak looks too shallow.
Makes one wonder what the Arctic Security Cutters’ draft will be. If they can’t use Kodiak, that will put an operational crimp in their use. I’m sure a lower ice class will mean lower weight and thus shallower draft.
Thant may be a consideration, but you can’t assume a medium icebreaker will be smaller than a heavy icebreaker because the Coast Guard’s differentiation is based solely on horsepower. Healy is a medium icebreaker, but it is larger than Polar Star, our heavy icebreaker.
The specifications for the purchase of the commercially available icebreaker did include reference to a maximum draft.
I’d have to double-check myself, but the Healy and Polars have a draft of around 30’, and I think the Aiviq is really close, like 28’. The Alex Haley is around 20’ or less, and so are all the other cutters I can think of which have been home ported at Kodiak. Maybe the solution is dredging Kodiak, rather than reducing ship capabilities? Maybe the bottom there is rock which would need blasted, which is expensive, risky, and has environmental implications, thus impractical?
The maximum draft for the commercial icebreaker procurement was 29 feet. I have not been able to find the depth of Women’s Bay (CG base Kodiak), so I don’t know if that is really the reason the icebreaker is not going there.
It may be that since the #3 and #4 OPCs are going there, there may not be enough room for another ship and its crew in Kodiak.