An $11.6 billion U.S. Coast Guard program to replace its sole remaining heavy ice breaker is more than three years behind schedule and could face costly overruns because of design problems.
A report from U.S. Government Accountability Office found the program to build three Polar Security Cutters to replace the 46-year-old Polar Star has had several setbacks as a result of a lack of experience designing and building polar icebreakers, the complexity of Polar Security Cutter’s design, significant changes from the original design and COVID-19 pandemic impacts.
The mission of the Coast Guard’s only heavy ice breaker, the Polar Star, is to break through ice to form a navigable channel and accompany fuel and cargo ships used to resupply the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo scientific research station. McMurdo Station is the hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program, with about 85 buildings, a harbor, landing strips on sea ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad.
The Polar Star, commissioned in 1976, is beyond its 30-year planned service life and in need of replacement. But designing its replacement has proven challenging.
“Designing the Polar Security Cutter has taken over three years longer than originally planned due to multiple design- and pandemic-related challenges, thereby delaying the start of construction for the lead cutter, now projected to occur by the end of March 2024,” according to the report. “Our analysis indicates that the Coast Guard is not likely to meet the program’s projected date to hold the final production readiness review needed to inform a production decision on the lead cutter.”
Its annual mission is part of Operation Deep Freeze, which is a joint effort of the Coast Guard, Department of Defense and contractors to support the National Science Foundation’s United States Antarctic Program.
“The Polar Star’s mission typically gets underway in November of each year, with the icebreaker reaching Antarctica in January and returning to its homeport in March,” according to the report. “This timing takes advantage of the southern hemisphere’s summer, when weather conditions are among the mildest, averaging between 25 to 33 degrees Fahrenheit. To get to Antarctica, the Polar Star completes a roundtrip journey covering over 24,000 nautical miles and encounters some of the most extreme environmental conditions on Earth, crossing a variety of climatic zones including the equator. The Polar Star also faces rough sea in the Southern Ocean, including waves over 20 feet and winds of nearly 50 miles per hour.”
But the program’s mission isn’t just about science in Antarctica.
“The Arctic has seen an increase in ship traffic because a reduced presence of sea ice has opened new navigable waterways; in 2022, the United States’ National Strategy for the Arctic Region found that other countries are also making military investments to support pursuit of hydrocarbon, mineral, and fishery claims in the Arctic, requiring more of a U.S. presence,” according to the report. “As such, the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard have identified that the Arctic is growing in strategic importance for the United States.”
The Coast Guard is working to design and build cutters that can safely navigate, provide a presence and represent U.S. interests in the polar regions, according to the report.
“However, it faces several challenges that will delay its progress if it does not act,” according to the report. “The Polar Security Cutter program has encountered multiple design delays, and the cutter’s design remains immature, progressing slowly. Though program officials told us that they are committed to ensuring the shipyard completes the functional design prior to the start of construction, it is unclear if the program will be able to achieve necessary gains in design before lead ship construction begins. This raises concerns as to whether construction will begin before the design is mature, risking further delays and costly rework.”
