“Icebreakers” in the Arctic ignite competition between great powers

The Arctic has long ceased to be a remote and inaccessible region, but has become a tangible reality for ordinary people. Far from this remote image, the region has now become a hotbed of tension on the economic level, with its vast energy and mineral resources, and on the geopolitical level, with an intense struggle for hegemony between the great powers of the Northern Hemisphere.

This race requires enormous naval power, and huge, expensive ships have become necessary to make a way across frozen waters.

The North Pole is a major prize. Currently, Russia has the largest number of military bases north of the Arctic Circle, and has a fleet of nearly 50 icebreakers, more than the entire NATO fleet.

This fleet includes several nuclear-powered ships equipped with atomic reactors, which gives them much greater independence than ships powered by diesel or natural gas.

China, despite being much farther away geographically, defines itself as a “near-Arctic country.”

The Asian superpower has four of these ships in service, and one more is under construction. As for the United States, which currently has a very small fleet relative to its size and geographical proximity (only three ships), the government has begun to accelerate the pace of work to keep pace.

It aims to own more than 50 icebreakers in the long term, and has recently concluded an agreement with Finland to purchase 11 of these ships from the Scandinavian country.

“The Arctic is the arena in which the world’s major powers compete for resources, trade routes and influence,” said Jason Muir, a defense expert at the Atlantic Council. “I am not saying that we are heading towards a major conflict in the region, but it is certainly an area of ​​increasing geostrategic importance.”

The United States has long suffered from a shortage of icebreakers. “It needed to catch up after decades of lagging behind in this field,” Muir explains. For Washington, Finnish technical expertise represents a fast track to narrowing the gap with Russia, given the impossibility of achieving this with its domestic production.

It is no coincidence that Finland is the country chosen to meet the needs of the United States. Despite its small size and population of just over five million, compared to a trio of great powers, it has the largest fleet ever, with 12 icebreakers.

Finland is the only country in the world where all its ports can freeze in the winter. For the Finns, the sea route is the only possible way to receive supplies during the cold months. Therefore, their survival depended on their ability to keep their waters navigable. Since launching their first icebreaker in the 1930s, the Scandinavian country has mastered the art of building these types of ships, and has become the world’s leading force in this field.

American interest in this field is not new, and even in his first term, President Donald Trump sought to address this critical point through purchases from Finland.

The pace of these talks has accelerated, according to Muir, with the Scandinavian country’s recent accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

With the joining of Finland and Sweden, the defense expert believes that the alliance “has become more prepared” to operate in an “increasingly important” region.

Although neither country has an Arctic coastline, and their icebreakers typically operate in the Baltic Sea, their ships and experience navigating icy waters make them strategic allies in the new Arctic arena.

Thanks to the two leading shipyards, Arctic and Rauma, and the leading design company, Aker Arctic, Finland was able to sell its expertise in building and operating these giant ships to the world, and now it is doing so with Washington.

The Finns are also proud to have built more than half of the icebreakers currently sailing around the world. Furthermore, about 80% of sweepers are designed in Finland.

What increases these advantages is the recent apparent rapprochement between Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, a conservative who skillfully managed the relationship amid fanfare and praise.

There are more privileges for the White House. While technology from the Scandinavian country is being used, seven of the new icebreakers will be assembled on American soil, in shipyards in Texas and Louisiana, and will carry the slogan “Made in America,” as Trump promotes to his supporters, while relying on Europe for a strategically important maritime project. About “El Pais”

. The Finns are proud to have built more than half of the icebreakers currently sailing around the world.

. The Arctic is a major prize, and Russia has the largest number of military bases north of the Arctic Circle.