| ICE Pact | |
| Long Name: | Icebreaker Collaboration Effort |
| Type: | Tripartite treaty |
| Location Signed: | Washington, D.C. United States |
| Original Signatories: | |
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The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, commonly referred to as the ICE Pact, is a trilateral partnership between the United States, Canada and Finland.[1] The ICE Pact was formed on 11 July 2024 in Washington, D.C.[2] The ICE Pact is a partnership in efforts to bolster shipbuilding capacities and industries, especially the enhancing of icebreaker ship production capacity in Canada and Finland, and to counter the influence of the Russian Federation and China in the Arctic region.[3] [4] The United States formed the ICE Pact to strengthen the United States Coast Guard and to accelerate icebreaker shipbuilding for itself and allies with assistance from Finland and Canada.[5] [6] The country of manufacture is yet to be determined; US rules currently require navy ships to be manufactured in the United States, but not privately owned ships[7] (though there are Jones Act restrictions on transport services). Canada has contracted for one heavy icebreaker from Seaspan in British Columbia and plans to contract a second from Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec,[8] . Canada has contracted 16 icebreaking multipurpose vessels from Seaspan (currently in functional design as of August 2024 with detailed design starting in the first half of 2025) and 6 medium icebreakers from Davie (initial contract was awarded in March 2024).[9] Finland has "know-how"; Helsinki Shipyard has built more than half of the world's icebreakers.[10] [11] The US has an overall goal of 70-90 Arctic-capable ships built within a decade.[12] [13] Canada is mainly to help with the ramping up and scaling of icebreaker ship building capacity.
See also: Arctic cooperation and politics and Arctic resources race. The United States started cutting off military cooperation with Russia after the 2014 Annexation of Crimea by Russia.[14]
Following the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Both Finland and Sweden and are members of the Arctic Council and in the Arctic region, however only Finland has become a member of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort. In response to Finland bordering the Russian Federation and being a "unfriendly nation", Finland has taken effort to increase its military collaboration with NATO allies, especially with members of the Arctic region, such as the United States.[15] The other members of the Arctic Council started excluding Russia from Arctic coordination after the 2022 invasion.
By 2024, after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic put shipbuilding in the United States years behind schedule, with shortages of experienced labor, supply chain delays, and design problems.[16]
With increasing temperatures due to global warming making navigation in more of the area more feasible more of the time, the Russian Federation seeks to exploit resources in the Arctic and to open trade routes in the Far North.[17] China also has had interests in the Arctic for a while, especially since 2013 when China gained a permanent observer status in the Arctic Council,[18] and China seeks to extend military capabilities, conduct research, and wishes to excavate resources in the Arctic.[19]
Canada
Finland
United States