Arctic Economic Council, Korea Maritime Institute release updated global icebreaker inventory

Reykjavík, October 17  – Today the Arctic Economic Council (AEC) and Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), with the support of Aker Arctic are releasing an updated global inventory of icebreakers and major ice-breaking vessels on the sidelines of the Arctic Circle Assembly. The document covers 221 vessels, both operational and planned, including research ships, naval patrol and offshore icebreaking vessels, and even one cruise ship with icebreaking capability. It reflects the most current orders and shipbuilding strategies, offering insight into which nations are investing, how quickly, and where capacity is increasing.

Mads Qvist Frederiksen, Executive Director of AEC, states:
“Icebreakers are no longer just tools for polar explorers. They are critical lifelines for local communities, essential for scientific missions, integral to defence and sovereignty, and increasingly central to infrastructure development in the Arctic, like subsea cables and resilient supply chains. With changing climate and geopolitics, the world cannot afford to have gaps in capability.”

From the latest data, Russia remains the nation with the largest fleet of icebreakers. Canada is in second place, having committed several new vessels under its National Shipbuilding Strategy, and the United States stands in third, though its fleet is aging and has been largely under capacity until recent announcements. Many of the current operational vessels date from the 1970s and 1980s; new build programs in the 2010s and 2020s are now seeking to modernize fleets, replace older ice-capable vessels, and expand capability for deeper Arctic operations.

Few countries have the capability to build specialised ice breakers and we have in recent months seen companies like Davie Shipyard making efforts to control the whole value chain in the production. Korea also has significant expertise in ice-class vessel design and maritime engineering, and under President Lee’s administration there is a stronger ambition to engage more actively in Arctic shipping, research, and infrastructure. There is an expectation that Koream will expand both its technical contributions (design, materials, ice-hull engineering) and its role in collaboration, particularly in supporting other nations’ fleets, or through joint projects.

In the United States, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” has committed some $8.6-9 billion USD toward expanding the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. This includes funds earmarked for heavy polar security cutters, medium Arctic security cutters, and light/medium icebreaking vessels. As part of this effort, the US recently commissioned the USCGC Storis, its first new polar icebreaker in 25 years, marking a symbolic and practical step forward.  This was followed by a historic agreement between the USA and Finland on icebreakers.

Mads Qvist Frederiksen adds: “Constructing icebreakers takes more than technical design excellence. You need shipyards with capacity, access to raw materials capable of withstanding severe polar conditions, skilled labour, and a resilient supply chain. A place like Helsinki Shipyard, which has historically built around half of the world’s icebreakers, has a lot of that expertise. It is not just heritage but also real industrial strength that contributes to a growing demand.”

The document released at Arctic Circle Assembly illustrates also the grey areas in defining what counts as an icebreaker. A good example is Le Commandant Charcot, a high-ice-class cruise vessel: it performs research, supports search and rescue, and breaks ice, but is officially registered as a cruise ship. These classifications matter for regulation, funding, and international cooperation.

AEC hopes that experts, mariners, shipowners, governments, and the public will suggest additions or corrections to the list, to keep it accurate and inclusive. The world of icebreakers are moving fast, so it is a living document that will be continuous improved.

Originally published on 17 October.

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