OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
8:18 AM – Wednesday, November 19, 2025
The United States, Canada, and Finland have signed a new agreement to build icebreakers together.
Finland is a leading manufacturer of icebreakers, which are specialized ships that break through thick ice to keep sea lanes open.
The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) was first initiated in July 2024 to compete with Russia’s expansion into the Arctic region. According to the agreement, signed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman, and Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto, 11 new icebreakers will be constructed over the next several years.
“Today is a major milestone in the race to secure the Arctic for all of our countries. The Arctic is the world’s last, most wild frontier, and our adversaries are racing to claim its strategic position and its natural resources for their own,” Noem said during a news conference Tuesday. “If we give up that high ground, then we will condemn future generations to permanent insecurity.”
“There is no doubt that we face an increasingly dangerous world and it is important in these times to build on the relationships with our key allies,” Hillman said at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
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Noem believes this will strengthen the economy and create more jobs for Americans who will be trained by Canada to build the icebreakers. The U.S. will also build its own ships in a shipyard that was recently purchased in Texas.
She also said that America needs icebreakers to thrive in the Arctic, which requires securing supply chains in the U.S.
Canada’s Chantier Davie, a shipbuilding company in Quebec, announced plans in June to invest $1 billion in Texas shipyards. The company also has operations in Finland.
In July, Finland also provided the U.S. with the first icebreaker to be added to the polar fleet in 25 years, named Storis.
President Donald Trump previously declared an emergency at the Canada-U.S. border due to the flow of deadly fentanyl and imposed tariffs on Canada.
“We have had some good progress, and I appreciate their focus on that while we build on our national security partnerships,” Noem said when asked about Ottawa’s increased security at the border, declining to confirm if it would be enough to end the president’s tariffs.
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