Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) in Finland has made significant progress in the construction of the first polar security cutter (ASC) for the United States Coast Guard. According to Mika Nyman, the CEO of the company, nearly half of the blocks for the first ship have now been launched, and the construction of the second ship will soon begin.
Contract Details and Construction Process
This rapid progress has occurred following the signing of the final contract this summer. Nyman stated in an interview with a Finnish newspaper, "We have launched nearly half of the blocks for the first ship. The start of production for the second ship is approaching."
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According to Nyman, U.S. commercial regulations prevented the official start of construction before the contract was finalized, but the shipyard had previously produced prototype units. This readiness allowed the yard to quickly transition to series production at the start of the contract.
Future Plans and Impacts
The United States Coast Guard awarded a contract for the construction of two ASC vessels in December 2025, valued at approximately $1.1 billion, with the delivery date set for 2028. These two ships built in Finland are part of a larger program to construct six vessels led by Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana.
The RMC ships are being built based on a multi-purpose icebreaker design developed by Canada's Seaspan Shipyards and Finnish icebreaker specialist Railo Technology. This mature design has been central to the accelerated construction program and has allowed Seaspan to quickly commence production.
The RMC vessels are part of a broader Coast Guard program to acquire 11 polar security cutters, leveraging Finnish shipbuilding expertise to expedite delivery while transferring technology and production knowledge to U.S. shipyards. Of these 11 vessels, four will be built in Finland and the rest in the United States.
Additionally, two extra ASC vessels are also under construction at the Helsinki shipyard under a five-ship contract with the Coast Guard. The construction of the first of these two ships began in June, with a delivery date also set for 2028.
These parallel programs in Finland are part of the U.S.-Finland icebreaker collaboration aimed at accelerating the delivery of new polar vessels while expanding U.S. shipbuilding capacity. The Coast Guard expects the first ASC vessels to be commissioned starting in 2028, with the first two ships planned to be stationed in Alaska.
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