JANUARY 7, 2025 — U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes commences Operation Taconite to prevent newly formed ice from hindering commercial vessel traffic. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB 30) is assigned to manage the ice breaking needs of western Lake Superior, specifically the twin ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. As ice coverage expands, … [Read more...]

JANUARY 1, 2025 — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew departed Sydney, Friday, to begin their journey across the Southern Ocean en route to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2025. While in Sydney, the crew hosted tours aboard the Polar Star for Consul General Christine Elder and guests from the U.S. Embassy. On December 21, the Polar … [Read more...]

DECEMBER 26, 2024 - The Coast Guard has officially welcomed its first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years – the recently acquired Aiviq, a commercial vessel that will be renamed CGC Storis. Storis means “great ice” in Scandinavian. The name is also a nod to the original CGC Storis, a legendary light icebreaker and medium endurance cutter commissioned in 1942 that … [Read more...]

DECEMBER 24, 2024 — The Coast Guard announced it accepted ownership of the motor vessel Aiviq, a 360-foot polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker, from an Edison Chouest Offshore subsidiary Friday. The vessel, acquired Dec. 11, will enhance U.S. operational presence in the Arctic and support Coast Guard missions while awaiting delivery of the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) … [Read more...]

DECEMBER 24, 2024 - The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy Integrated Program Office received approval Dec. 19 to begin building the first Polar Security Cutter (PSC). The PSC marks the first heavy polar icebreaker to be built in the United States in more than five decades. The work is being performed by Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the prime … [Read more...]