World’s mightiest icebreaker fleets

Washington’s new claims that a slice of seabed the size of California off the coast of Alaska have renewed questions about whether the US has the capabilities to enforce its will in the frigid seas.

Who are the top five icebreaker powers in the world?

5️⃣🇺🇸: The US has five vessels, two of them, the Polar Star and the Healy, operated by the Coast Guard, and three smaller ships by the National Science Foundation. The Polar Star has the impressive ability to crack through ice up to 6.4 meters, but is the only ship of its kind.

4️⃣🇸🇪: Sweden has impressive icebreaking capabilities, including up to seven icebreakers, five of them operated by the Swedish Maritime Administration. The newest ship in the fleet is the Oden research vessel, which can plow through ice up to 5 meters thick.

3️⃣🇫🇮: Finland also packs a strong punch in icebreaker capabilities, operating nine icebreaking vessels ranging from the 1954-vintage Voima to the unique Louhi oil and chemical spill response vessel operated by the Navy.

2️⃣🇨🇦: Canada needs icebreakers for its long Arctic coastline, and has at least 15 icebreakers (about half capable of operating in the frigid north), and two offshore patrol vessels operated by the Navy. The pride and flagship of the fleet is the Louis S. St-Laurent, which can crack ice up to five meters thick.

1️⃣🇷🇺: Russia is top of the heap, with its fleet including 45 large icebreakers (seven of them nuclear-powered, with Russia the only country in the world with that technology). The pride of the nuclear icebreaker fleet is the Project 22220 Arktika class, able to spend months at sea and slice through ice up to four meters thick with ease. The newest diesel-powered icebreaker series is Project 21900, with five ships built and two more on the way.

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