USCG Polar Security Cutter [Image courtesy Halter Marine / Technology Associates, Inc.]
“Bollinger Shipyards announced Thursday that its Pascagoula Mississippi shipyard now exceeds 1,000 employees, touting the milestone as it gears up to make the first heavy icebreaker in the U.S. in more than 50 years – vessels Washington is keen to produce more of as it partners with Canada and Finland in a pact to bolster icebreaker fleets.
“The three countries announced the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, in a joint statement during the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday.”
Always good to partner with people who know what they are doing.
The US and Canada are at similar points in their efforts to build new heavy icebreakers. Having worked together on research, the two classes have many similarities. Davie, Canada’s shipyard tasked with building their new icebreakers, went to Finland for additional expertise.
“Davie is a part of Group Davie, which in November 2023 acquired Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard, the world leader in icebreaker design and construction.”
Bollinger indicates they expect that, in addition to building icebreakers for the US Coast Guard, they will build for export. That would be a huge turn around.
Below is Bollinger’s press release.
BOLLINGER TO PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN NEW POLAR PARTNERSHIP (“ICE PACT”)
As the only U.S. builder of heavy polar icebreakers, Bollinger to provide expertise and capacity to NATO allies
Lockport, La., – July 11, 2024 – Bollinger Shipyards (“Bollinger”) today praised the White House’s announcement of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (“ICE Pact”), a trilateral agreement between the United States, Canada and Finland to contribute capacity and know-how for building polar icebreakers for the United States and its allies, and to counter the expanding presence of our nation’s adversaries and strategic competitors in the Arctic region.
The first and only shipbuilder in the United States to engineer and construct a heavy polar icebreaker in over 50 years, Bollinger will play a critical role in ICE Pact and its efforts to strengthen the polar capabilities of the United States and its allies through the creation of a fleet of polar icebreakers. Bollinger is currently under contract to build the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) heavy polar icebreaker for the United States Coast Guard.
“As the premiere builder of American-made polar icebreakers, Bollinger Shipyards is proud to support the United States and our NATO allies with our deep expertise and capacity,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger Shipyards President and CEO. “We have made, and will continue to make, significant, long-term investments in our facilities, infrastructure and workforce. Our goal is to create a world-class American-owned shipyard capable of producing the first fleet of American-made polar icebreakers in over half a century, and we’re honored that responsibility lies with Bollinger.”
Earlier this year, Bollinger’s Pascagoula workforce exceeded 1,000 employees – a substantial reversal of a decade-long trend of declining employment under the Pascagoula facility’s previous owner and reflects Bollinger’s commitment to growth, innovation, and investment along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Bordelon continued, “Our success in reaching this milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees, as well as the strategic initiatives we’ve implemented to expand and grow our workforce and operations. We are incredibly proud that Bollinger Shipyards is a critical part of the industrial base for our military and are honored to play a part in ensuring the national security of our nation.”
Since acquiring the Pascagoula facility in 2022, Bollinger has invested more than $40 million in upgrades to the facility’s infrastructure, technology, and personnel to establish a Center of Excellence in building world-class icebreakers. Bollinger has also launched innovative workforce development initiatives, such as its Shipfitter Bootcamp, a comprehensive 14-week workforce development program in partnership with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College designed to equip current and future Bollinger employees with the essential skills and knowledge required to take their careers as shipfitters to the next level.
ABOUT THE POLAR SECURITY CUTTER (PSC) PROGRAM
The U.S. Coast Guard requires polar icebreaking capability to support the country’s economic, commercial, maritime and national security needs in the Polar Regions. The new Polar Security Cutters (PSCs) will be national assets that will ensure access to both polar regions and be capable of executing key Coast Guard missions, including defense readiness; marine environmental protection; ports, waterways and coastal security; and search and rescue. The ships will operate worldwide and face the range of extreme environmental conditions found in the polar, tropical and temperate regions.
ABOUT BOLLINGER SHIPYARDS
Bollinger Shipyards (www.bollingershipyards.com) has a 78-year legacy as a leading designer and builder of high-performance military patrol boats and salvage vessels, research vessels, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tugboats, rigs, lift boats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and other steel and aluminum products from its new construction shipyards as part of the U. S. industrial base. Bollinger has 13 facilities, all strategically located throughout Louisiana and Mississippi with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region. This year, Bollinger celebrates a 40-year history of building vessels for the United States Coast Guard.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
They need to put the Finns in charge, since they know what they’re doing, unlike us and the Canucks.
Canada has now awarded construction contracts for two heavy polar icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2025/03/construction-of-new-polar-icebreakers-for-the-canadian-coast-guard.html
The first vessel will be built by Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and the second by Davie Shipbuilding; the latter will leverage its recent acquisition and build the vessel jointly with Helsinki Shipyard. The total value of the contracts awarded so far is about C$7.53 billion (US$5.24 billion)
Interestingly, the ships are not identical: Seaspan’s polar icebreaker will be 158 metres (518 ft) long while Davie will be building a 139-metre (456 ft) vessel based on its own “Polar Max” design. There’s a similar difference in displacement; about 26,000 tonnes (25,600 LT) vs. 22800 tonnes (22,400 LT).
Although not exactly part of it, Davie says its project is aligned with the principles of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact).