Following U.S. President Trump’s remarks about buying Finnish icebreakers at the NATO summit in The Hague last week, additional details have emerged.
The U.S. reportedly intends to lease or purchase the more than 30-year old Fennica icebreaker. In addition Finnish yards could construct two new icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard. Finland’s modern Polaris icebreaker, however, was not up for sale or available for lease, said a government representative last week.
Finland has limited icebreakers available that it would be willing to part with and that would be suitable for use by the U.S. Coast Guard. […]
Previous reporting suggests that President Trump would like to see the U.S. place into service a new icebreaker before the end of his term; a goal domestic shipyards are unlikely to meet. The timeline for Finnish yards, on the other hand, appears more favorable given their track record of delivering icebreakers within a three year time frame. Läs artikel