Icebreaker Pact Strengthened by Trilateral Cooperation

By
Mfame Editor
-
10

The Public Services and Procurement Canada announced that on 18 November 2025, Canada, Finland, and the United States signed a Joint Statement of Intent (JSOI) to advance their Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact).

What the Joint Statement Covers

  • The ICE Pact is a trilateral agreement to boost the three nations’ ability to design, build, and maintain Arctic and polar icebreakers, reinforcing their presence in polar waters.
  • Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S., signed the JSOI on behalf of Minister Joël Lightbound, alongside Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and Sakari Puisto, Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs.
  • The JSOI is structured to support domestic shipbuilding industries in all three countries and to create “well-paying jobs in the marine sector.”

Key Focus Areas Under JSOI

The new agreement highlights four main areas:

  1. Industrial collaboration — across all stages of icebreaker production
  2. Workforce development — launching joint training initiatives for shipbuilding personnel
  3. International promotion and cooperation — aligning how all three nations engage with other allies and markets
  4. Research & development — building a shared R&D framework for next-generation polar vessels

Next Steps & Follow-up

  • Officials from Canada, Finland, and the U.S. will convene next year to map out the action plan for implementing the JSOI.
  • An Industry Day on 20 November will bring together shipyards, marine firms, and researchers to discuss industrial participation.
  • The JSOI builds on a November 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the three countries under the ICE Pact.
  • The U.S.’s October 2025 icebreaker fleet renewal plan — involving Canadian and Finnish shipyards — is explicitly referenced in the JSOI as a momentum-building step.
  • Under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), two new polar icebreakers are being built for the Canadian Coast Guard.

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Source: Public Services and Procurement Canada