Senior officials from the Canadian and U.S. governments say a new trilateral agreement with Finland will help allies build icebreakers to safeguard the Arctic.
The “ice pact,” as it’s being called, is aimed at bolstering shipbuilding capabilities in the three countries to deter Russian and Chinese ambitions in the far North.
The deal was signed on the sidelines of the NATO summit, which is wrapping up on July 11 in Washington, D.C.
Finland is one of NATO’s newest members.
U.S. officials who spoke to reporters about the deal said they anticipate allies will want to build between 70 and 90 icebreakers in the coming years and they want domestic shipyards to gain from that production.
Canada’s shipbuilding plan includes two polar icebreakers, being built in Vancouver, and a fleet of six program icebreakers being built in Quebec.
