Scorned by Trump, Canadian shipbuilders flash their icebreaker skills

MILAN — President Donald Trump’s ambition to build 40 new icebreakers in the United States is unrealistic given the current state of the national shipbuilding industry, which may require Washington to ask for Canada’s help, according to a major Canadian shipbuilder specializing in the construction of such vessels.

In a Jan. 24 press briefing, Trump announced a target of acquiring roughly 40 icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We’re going to order about 40 Coast Guard big icebreakers – big ones – and all of a sudden, Canada wants a piece of the deal. … I say, ‘Why are we doing that,’” he told reporters.

On March 4, the U.S. government reinstated an executive order that hit its northern neighbor with 25% across-the-board tariffs and 10% on Canadian energy, triggering a continental trade war. Ottawa has responded with its retaliatory tariffs at the same rate but placed on a smaller basket of American goods.

According to Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan, in charge of building two new heavy polar icebreakers for the country’s Coast Guard, the Canadian naval industry already possesses the requisite know-how for Trump’s plan.

“40 icebreakers are fantastic, but that is pretty aggressive – I don’t want to go against what Mr. Trump said, but I would say that the U.S. shipbuilding industry capability is pretty stressed and busy right now. … I think it’s fair to say that it is not [currently] capable of doing that,” David Hargreaves, senior vice president of business development at Seaspan, told Defense News.

“He also said that Canada is trying to get a part of it – what we are trying to do is be a contributor to our neighbors and help them,” he added.

The economic rift between the two nations does not appear to have negatively impacted the shipbuilding industry so far. On the contrary, companies from both sides of the border continue to engage in dialogue and appear determined to carry out business as usual.

Davie, a Quebec shipbuilder, told Defense News earlier this year that it was moving forward with plans to acquire an American shipyard despite the threat of a looming trade war.

Canadian and Finnish government representatives shared similar perspectives in Feb. 4 email statements, stating that the tense climate seen as of late between Canada and the U.S. had not compromised cooperation within the trilateral Icebreaker Collaboration Effort.

While that agreement, signed last summer and known as the ICE Pact, seeks to bring together Finnish, Canadian and U.S. expertise to build best-in-class ice boats and cooperate in other areas, Hargreaves notes that Washington has the most to gain from it when it comes to gaining knowledge.

“I don’t think it explicitly says this, but it is really about helping the U.S. to build their icebreaking capability,” he said.

Whereas Finland and Canada have long histories of manufacturing these vessels, America has lagged behind. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard has not launched a new heavy icebreaker since 1976.

U.S. regulations have previously required that military vessels be built domestically. Two new bills introduced last month by Utah senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans, seek to modify these practices, placing greater emphasis on shipyards in NATO countries or in trusted Indo-Pacific nations for getting America’s ship count up quickly.

Regardless of the bills’ prospects for adoption, Canada’s Seaspan is already putting itself in a position to help out.

“We are exploring how a U.S. shipyard(s) could use our existing Canadian Coast Guard Multi-Purpose Vessel design, a polar class 4 icebreaker that could be relatively easily upgraded to class 3,” Hargreaves wrote in an email.

Talks are already underway with the U.S. Coast Guard about cooperating. The Americans are “very interested” in the ship design, according to the company.