The US Coast Guard's failed to take account of the nation's shipbuilding capabilities when scheduling delivery dates for three new heavy-duty icebreakers beginning in 2023, the General Accountability Office (GAO) said in an audit report on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) The US Coast Guard's failed to take account of the nation's shipbuilding capabilities when scheduling delivery dates for three new heavy-duty icebreakers beginning in 2023, the General Accountability Office (GAO) said in an audit report on Wednesday.
"The Coast Guard's initial planned delivery dates of 2023, 2025, and 2026 for the three ships were not informed by a realistic assessment of shipbuilding activities. The schedule was driven, instead, by the potential gap in icebreaking capabilities once the Coast Guard's only operating heavy polar icebreaker - the Polar Star - reaches the end of its service life," the report said.
The US fleet consists of just one operational heavy icebreaker, the four-decade-old Polar Star, which is nearing the end of its usable life.
Coast Guard officials have said the United States needs to build at least six icebreakers - three heavy-duty and three lighter-duty ships - to maintain a year-round presence in the Arctic.
Russia operates a fleet of more than 40 icebreakers, according to published reports.
