The Finnish icebreaker Kontio. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Tupsumato, CC BY-SA 3.0
If an agreement is reached and the order comes from the United States, icebreakers can be built in Finland quickly.
The construction of an icebreaker for Canada in Finland could become a model for a much larger order from the United States for the construction of a batch of icebreakers. Complete Finnish icebreaker designs alleviate the problem of a shortage of qualified icebreaker designers in the United States working at the project, which is far behind schedule, and final assembly of finished vessels in the United States could help circumvent restrictions in American legislation.
The Finnish maritime industry has good starting points to implement icebreaker projects also in the United States, estimates Elina Andersson, CEO of the Finnish Maritime Industry Association.
The icebreaker trades made headlines when Finnish President Alexander Stubb and U.S. President Donald Trump met on March 29. Trump said on the Truth Social platform that the presidents strengthened the U.S.-Finnish partnership, which includes the purchase and development of many icebreakers.
Icebreaker cooperation has been a dream of Finland for years. The matter is progressing, but it is not yet at the contract stage.
Elina Andersson thinks it is great that the expertise in the field has been recognized at such a high level again.
“We will still have to wait for official guidelines on the progress,” she says.
Several Ships Can be Built at the Same Time
The Helsinki shipyard is currently starting construction of a heavy icebreaker in Canada. The Canadian shipbuilding company Davie, which owns the shipyard, said in early March that it had signed an agreement for the icebreaker with the Canadian government.
Construction of the ship will begin in Helsinki and will be completed at the Davie shipyard in Quebec, Canada.
The Helsinki shipyard will soon build an icebreaker for Canada. Source: Yle, Antti Haanpää
“We are currently in the planning phase and physical work will begin in late summer or early autumn, says CEO Kim Salmi.”
According to Salmi, Helsinki would be well prepared to build icebreakers for the United States as well, if Finland and the United States reach an agreement and an order is placed.
We would be fully prepared to get started. We are able to build several projects simultaneously. It only takes us three years to build a heavy icebreaker, from contract to delivery.
If more orders are received, the next icebreaker could be delivered in as little as eight months, according to Salmi.
The Employment Effects are Significant
Icebreaker deals would have a major impact on employment. 500 people have been hired for the icebreaker project currently underway at the Helsinki shipyard, although it is being done in cooperation with a Canadian shipyard.
“Our staff has been between 400 and 600 here in recent decades. When ships are being built, there are 1,000–2,000 of us inside our own yards. On top of that, there are all the procurements that employ outsiders,” Salmi says.
Salmi considers it valuable that President Stubb is promoting the issue and discussing icebreaker cooperation with President Trump.
“It would be significant if orders actually came in. However, relatively few icebreakers are ordered each year,” he says.
Canada’s Icebreaker Order could Become a Model for the U.S.
The Canadian shipbuilding company Davie, which owns Helsinki shipyard, has signed an agreement with the Canadian government to build a heavy icebreaker. Construction of the ship will begin in Helsinki and be completed at Davie shipyard in Quebec, Canada.
The construction of the icebreaker will be carried out as a joint project between Finnish and Canadian shipbuilding experts. According to plans, the completed ship will be handed over to the Canadian government in 2030. The order is part of Canada’s national shipbuilding program.
According to Canadian media, the order is worth 3.25 billion Canadian dollars, or about 2 billion euros.
The new ship is based on the Polar Max icebreaker concept developed by Helsinki Shipyard. This is the first shipbuilding project at Helsinki Shipyard under Davie’s ownership, and it will increase the number of employees at Helsinki Shipyard by approximately 500.
“When Davie acquired Helsinki Shipyard, our goal was to restore it to operation and take its expertise back to the Western market. With the Polar Max project, we will finally be able to realize this goal. In an unstable world, cooperation with reliable allies such as Finland is crucial in shipbuilding,” says Davie CEO James Davies in a statement.
The icebreaker under construction is intended to be a research vessel capable of carrying out oil spill response operations and emergency towing all year round. It is planned to be 138.5 meters long.
A visual illustration shared by Davie of the icebreaker under construction. Source: Army Recognition Group, Davie Shipbuilding
The order announced now is not officially part of the ICE Pact cooperation, but Davie says it is a concrete example of the cooperation that can arise around the initiative. This is also how the Finnish Industrial Counsellor Reko-Antti Suojanen, who is leading the ICE Pact project, sees it.
“This is a very positive thing for Finland and one of the reasons why this ICE Pact agreement was entered into in the first place. It will provide us with industrial jobs and orders. At the same time, we will be able to help partner countries. As can be seen from this order, it is a joint project between a Canadian shipyard and a Helsinki shipyard.”
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