Finland helps the White House to counter China, shipyards are brightly lit all night, 11 warships are waiting for launching!

Washington in October, a historic agreement was reached at the White House. The U.S. Coast Guard will acquire 11 new icebreakers, four of which will be built by Finnish shipyards, and the remaining seven will be independently built by the United States with technical support from Finland.

The White House announced a $6.1 billion investment to build 11 icebreakers. According to the agreement, Finland will first build four "Arctic Security Patrol Ships" at its own shipyard. The United States will then build an additional seven ships at its own shipyards with technical support from Finland. The Davie and Bollinger shipyards in Texas and Louisiana have been confirmed to participate in the collaboration.

The first icebreaker is expected to be delivered in 2028. Currently, the Finnish shipyards are brightly lit all night, indicating that the shipbuilding cooperation between the two sides has already been finalized. These new ships will significantly expand the U.S. Coast Guard's current polar fleet, which only has three icebreakers. Finland's shipbuilding capabilities should not be underestimated. After World War II, Finland once built and delivered more than 500 ships to the Soviet Union as part of war reparations.

Finland's professional shipbuilding capabilities stem from geographical needs. Due to the long-term freezing of the sea area in winter, Finland must rely on icebreakers to maintain year-round shipping. Recently, due to the loss of the U.S. capability to build icebreakers, it has had to seek help from Finland.

Meanwhile, the growing shipbuilding strength of China and the increasing number of icebreakers appearing in the Arctic have become reasons for concern for the White House and the Pentagon. U.S. officials have also angrily protested against Russia's deepening cooperation with China in the Arctic region in recent years. According to the agreement, the United States not only gains icebreakers but also receives technology transfer from Finland. The United States will "leverage Finland's expertise" to build seven icebreakers at its domestic shipyards.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845579075734536/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.