US, Canada, Finland form ‘Ice Pact’

Canada, the United States, and Finland have announced a new “Ice Pact” to develop a fleet of polar icebreaker ships, aiming to challenge China’s dominance in this market as nations vie for influence in the Arctic. The deal, unveiled during the NATO summit in Washington, could result in up to 90 icebreaker ships being produced by these three countries in the coming years.

“As leaders of Arctic nations, Canada, Finland, and the United States, recognizing the enduring importance of the region to our collective economic, climate, and national security, we resolve to deepen our cooperation to ensure the polar and Arctic regions remain peaceful, cooperative, and prosperous,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated on Thursday. “Over the next six months, we will jointly develop an implementation plan for this collaboration to build these highly complex and critical vessels for our allies and partners with interests and responsibilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.”

As part of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or Ice Pact, Canada will build two polar icebreakers in Vancouver and a fleet of six from shipyards in Quebec.

With the rapidly changing climate in the Arctic, Russia and China have shown interest in new polar routes for trade and military purposes, raising concerns among NATO countries. Last year, Russia and China signed an agreement to cooperate in the Arctic. Russia currently has the largest Arctic fleet, with 40 ships, far surpassing those of the US and Canada.

“The Ice Pact will reinforce the message to Russia and China that the United States and its allies intend to… doggedly pursue collaboration on industrial policy to increase our competitive edge in strategic industries like shipbuilding, to build a world-class polar icebreaking fleet at scale,” a senior US official told reporters. “Without this arrangement, we risk our adversaries developing an advantage in a specialized technology with vast geostrategic importance, which could also allow them to become the preferred supplier for countries interested in purchasing polar icebreakers.”