Full-rate production approved for first US Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter

As the US Coast Guard seeks to build new icebreakers, it must rely on its two existing polar icebreaking ships, including Healy , pictured here transiting the Gulf of Alaska in July 2022. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved full production of the first US Coast Guard (USCG) Polar Security Cutter (PSC), the USCG confirmed on 30 April.

The DHS also approved low-rate initial production of the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC), the USCG confirmed the same day.

The approvals came as supplemental reconciliation legislation spearheaded by Republicans calls for nearly doubling the USCG fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget, including about USD14.6 billion for 30 cutters.

This increase includes about USD4.3 billion for two PSCs and advanced procurement for the ships as well as about USD5 billion for three or more Arctic Security Cutters (ASCs) and an unspecified number of Great Lakes icebreakers.

The additional funding planning comes in the wake of USCG force shifts to bolster borders – including Alaskan Arctic and High North regions – to meet presidential mandates.

For more information, please seeUSCG Arctic official calls for joint operations mating icebreakers with US Navy FON transits .

The USCG awarded Bollinger Shipyards a USD951.6 million fixed-price-incentive-firm (FPIF) target contract modification to move forward on the detail design and construction phase of the PSC programme, the shipbuilder confirmed on 25 March.

The USCG initiated the PSC programme in its FY 2013 budget to acquire new heavy polar icebreakers, with a target of acquiring four or five new PSCs, to be followed at a later point by the acquisition of new ASCs or medium polar icebreakers, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted in its October 2024 report,