Construction of Two Icebreakers at Bollinger Shipyards Progresses

The hull of the first heavy polar icebreaker for the Coast Guard is taking shape after years of delays on the Gulf Coast. The stern sections of the future USCGC Polar Sentinel (WMSP-21) are now standing almost four stories high in the middle of the Bollinger Mississippi shipyard. As of early August, the stern section of the future Polar Security Cutter was positioned to be welded in place.

Bollinger has overseen the project since it inherited the contract when it bought the yard from V.T. Halter in 2022. V.T. Halter won the initial 2019 for an estimated cost of $2.7 billion for three hulls. Last year, the Coast Guard awarded a $951.6 million contract to Bollinger to adjust for the cost increase for the production of ice breaker. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost for three hulls to be at $5.1 billion.

From the government side, the Coast Guard and Naval Sea Systems Command, which is overseeing the program on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, have wrestled with the complexities of the Polar Security Cutter program for the better part of a decade. In June, the Government Accountability Office said Polar Sentinel would deliver in 2033 due