Aiviq becomes USCGC Storis, to be based in Juneau

The Coast Guard gets its first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years.

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The Coast Guard has accepted its first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years, but it’s not really new. The 12,900-ton, 360-foot Anchor Handling Tug Support Ship (AHTS) Aiviq was acquired by the Coast Guard and renamed USCGC Storis (WAGB 21).

According to a Coast Guard statement, “On Nov. 20, the Coast Guard purchased the M/V Aiviq, a 360-foot U.S.-built polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker for $125 million in a deal with Offshore Surface Vessels LLC. The vessel, which was constructed in 2012, has supported oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska in the Arctic Ocean, and has deployed twice to the Antarctic.  As a polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker, the Storis is expected to be capable of operating in waters that are otherwise inaccessible to most Coast Guard cutters.”

Currently, the Coast Guard has two operational polar icebreakers, the 399-foot, 13,000-ton heavy icebreaker USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB 11), commissioned in 1976, and the  420-foot, 16,000-ton medium icebreaker USCGC Healy (WAGB 20), which entered service in 1999. Polar Sea’s sister ship, USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10), has been out of service for more than a decade and used as a source of parts for Polar Sea.  Polar Star is now located at the Navy’s inactive ships facility at Suisun Bay, California.

The new Storis underwent what Coast Guard spokesperson Krystal Wolfe called “minor preliminary modifications” at Tampa Ship LLC, to include painting the ship in the Coast Guard’s “icebreaker red” colors.
 

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• “On Nov. 20, the Coast Guard purchased the M/V Aiviq, a 360-foot U.S.-built polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker for $125 million in a deal with Offshore Surface Vessels LLC. The vessel, which was constructed in 2012, has supported oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska in the Arctic Ocean, and has deployed twice to the Antarctic.  As a polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker, the Storis is expected to be capable of operating in waters that are otherwise inaccessible to most Coast Guard cutters.” – U.S. Coast Guard

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Chartered icebreaker Aiviq completing refueling operations at Davis research Station.) [Credit: Stuart Pilgrim-Australian Antarctic Program] 

“The ship was reactivated, recertified to its ABS Class, and painted prior to acceptance,” Wolfe said. “The commercial crew piloted the M/V Aiviq from Tampa Ship to its acceptance in Pascagoula, Miss. Because the ship was painted in Coast Guard colors but was not yet owned or crewed by the Coast Guard, the Aiviq name plate remained on the ship. The ship will formally become Coast Guard Cutter Storis upon commissioning.”

The Coast Guard said that the initial commissioning crew of the future CGC Storis will consist of approximately 60 officers and enlisted personnel, to be assigned this summer.

“The Coast Guard is thrilled to acquire this icebreaker,” said Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan. “Like its namesake, this cutter highlights the Coast Guard’s long history of operating in the Arctic and demonstrates our commitment to assert and protect U.S. sovereignty in the region.”
Now, the Coast Guard will evaluate the vessel and identify requirements to achieve full operational capability.

Juneau Homeport

The service has announced that new Storis will be also be permanently homeported in Juneau after the port facilities are upgraded.   “Substantial shore infrastructure work needs to be completed in Juneau to support not only the ship, but also the crew, support personnel, and their families,” said Wolfe. “The design and construction work for the homeporting project will take several years,” according to a Coast Guard news release.

Meanwhile, Wolfe said the Coast Guard will evaluate the vessel’s current condition and capability and identify requirements to attain full operational capability. “A phased set of modifications will occur over several years, in between patrols, to provide additional mission capabilities to help promote safe, secure, and environmentally responsible maritime activities in the Arctic and to integrate with other Coast Guard assets.” The service is planning to send Storis on her first deployment to support the 2026 Arctic summer season.

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• “A phased set of modifications will occur over several years, in between patrols, to provide additional mission capabilities to help promote safe, secure, and environmentally responsible maritime activities in the Arctic and to integrate with other Coast Guard assets.” – U.S. Coast Guard
  

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“Storis” a revered name in Coast Guard lore. 

The original USCGC Storis (WAGL-38/WAG-38/WAGB-38/WMEC-38) was commissioned in 1942, as the only ship in her class. She was based on a buoy tender design, but larger than the 18-foot tenders built at that time. The 2,000-ton, 230-foot cutter was well armed, and protected World War II convoys from German U-boat wolfpacks. Later, she led the first U.S. transit of the Northwest Passage, and conducted Coast Guard missions from its homeport of Juneau, Alaska—where she was fondly referred to as the “Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast,” until decommissioning in 2007. She served for 64 years.

Urgent need

The mission, as well as the  need to recapitalize the nation’s icebreaking capabilities, are well known.

According to a 2007 report, “Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World: An Assessment of U.S. Needs,” from the National Academies of Sciences, “The principal objective of the U.S. Coast Guard’s polar ice operations role is to support U.S. interests in the polar regions by providing the icebreaker operating time and capabilities required by the U.S. Coast Guard and user agencies in polar regions. This objective is selected as the U.S. Coast Guard’s long-term first priority because Coast Guard icebreakers are the only national icebreaking resources that can reliably accomplish national objectives in the polar regions. Although, the U.S. Coast Guard has included polar icebreaking as part of its national defense role, polar operations have in fact spanned all of the mission areas to some degree. 

The U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers have been tasked at various times to support the national objectives in the polar regions by (1) providing platforms for scientific research in the Arctic and Antarctic; (2) performing logistical and supply activities in the Arctic and Antarctic; (3) providing support for resource exploration, shipping demonstration projects, and research, development, and testing projects in the Arctic; (4) performing military missions in the Arctic; (5) supporting diplomatic missions related to U.S. strategic interests; and (6) coordinating an international exchange of information on ice operations.”

The service has long considered the replacements for the polar icebreakers one of its top acquisition priorities.  Coast Guard leadership have called for the acquisition of at least six icebreakers-- with at least three of those being heavy icebreakers—and three medium icebreakers—as the minimum.

The recent Coast Guard release about the acquisition of the new Storis said “The Coast Guard requires a fleet of eight to nine polar icebreakers to meet operational needs in polar regions.”

The service is currently procuring three multi-mission Polar Security Cutters (PSCs) at Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard (formerly VT Halter).

An illustration of the new Polar Security Cutter.) [Credit: U.S. Coast Guard]

The Coast Guard is authorizing the shipbuilder, to build the first 16 modules that will be incorporated in the first PSC, CGC Polar Sentinel, with estimated delivery in 2030.

Adding the Storis to the fleet doesn’t change the Coast Guard’s “status for the PSC program.

The service’s plan to build three Polar Security Cutters – still the highest-priority” program – is not affected by the purchase of Aiviq, nor will the vessel  be included in the PSC program of record. Storis is not a permanent solution, but rather a way to meet current urgent needs until new icebreakers are procured.

“In the interim, the future CGC Storis is expected to help bridge the gap and provide additional capability in support of national security in the region,” a Coast Guard statement said.

Thin Ice

Today, the service is on thin ice when it comes to its polar icebreaking mission. “Our medium polar icebreaker, CGC Healy, was temporarily sidelined after experiencing an electrical fire in July. Meanwhile, the CGC Polar Star, a heavy polar icebreaker, is nearly 50 years old,” said a Coast Guard press release.

According to the Coast Guard, the first PSC, the future USCGC Polar Sentinel, is expected to be delivered in 2030. Until then, Storis represents a stop-gap solution to deliver operational presence in the polar regions and support national security until the PSCs is delivered.

A December 2024 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said, “Coast Guard officials said that they are considering expanding the (PSC) program by buying up to two more cutters. The Coast Guard is also considering whether to start another program to build a new class of medium polar icebreakers, known as Arctic Security Cutters.”

Icebreakers are called upon to perform other missions besides opening channels in the ice.  They can enable other ships to deliver vital supplies, or carry such cargos themselves to remote communities. They can carry out tasking from other user agencies. They respond to oil spills; conduct search and rescue missions; enforces fisheries regulations; provide command and control; serve as a platform for research teams; and are national security assets. Icebreakers are well suited to participate in exercises such as Operations Arctic Shield, Chukchi Guardian, Nanook and Exercise Argus. Their presence asserts U.S. sovereignty – which is especially important in this time of global peer competition.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard’s two serviceable ocean-going icebreakers soldier on.

Healy, specifically designed to support Arctic science missions, returned to returned to her homeport of Seattle in December of 2024, following a 73-day Arctic deployment supporting scientific research missions, search and rescue operations, and training exercises in the region.  

Polar Star has commenced its 2025 Antarctic cruise in support of Operation Deep Freeze.  

Iñupiaq for “Walrus”

The Coast Guard passed up the opportunity to acquire Aiviq in the past. But the availability of Aiviq and the growing national security missions for the Coast Guard in the high north have raised the sense of urgency.

Aiviq was built in 2011-2012 by North American Shipbuilding and LaShip in Louisiana for Edison Chouest to support Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic oil and gas exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Her name means “walrus” in the native Iñupiaq language.

The ship is powerful and maneuverable, with four Caterpillar C280-12 diesel engines and two ducted controlled-pitch propellers, as well as bow and stern thrusters.  Her top speed is 15 knots and can break ice at 5 knots.

While not constructed as an icebreaker, the ATHS was built to Polar Class 3 standards, so it can conduct year-round operation in second-year ice up to 8.2 feet, and sometimes more.  By comparison, the Coast Guard’s heavy icebreaker USCGC Polar Sea can break up to 21 feet of ice, or 6 feet of ice at a continuous speed of 3 knots; and medium icebreaker Healy is designed to break ice 4.5-feet thick continuously at knots.

Because she was built to help tow and position offshore oil and gas platforms in the Arctic, Aiviq has a high bow for rough seas, with a large open fantail that can accommodate an anchor and chain or towing hawser.  She also was relatively self-sufficient, with an endurance of 100 days,  and on-board medical facilities including a 22-bed recovery area.

On the rocks

Aiviq was employed supporting Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic exploration operations in the Chukchi Sea, where the difficulties and danger of operating in the high north became evident.  

In 2015, Aiviq was towing the Shell ice-class mobile offshore drilling unit Kulluk from Unalaska to Seattle for maintenance and repairs in heavy weather. The towline failed, and then Kulluk ran aground on Sitkalidak Island off Kodiak Island, Alaska. To assist, Shell dispatched the tug Guardsman and the oil spill response vessel Nanuq, along with tow vessel Alert. The Kodiak, Alaska-based medium endurance cutter USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC 39) from Kodiak, Alaska, also sailed to the Kulluk’s location. During attempts to secure the tow, Aiviq suffered an engine casualty. After grounding, the rig was eventually brought to Seattle in a tandem-tow by Aiviq and Nanuq.

A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak delivers parts to the tugboat Aiviq in the Gulf of Alaska 80 miles southwest of Kodiak city, Alaska, Dec. 29, 2012.) [Credit: U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis]

The grounding isn’t the only reason that Shell discontinued its efforts as too difficult and costly--and dangerous. But it represented the extreme environmental challenges to human activities in the region. Royal Dutch Shell abandoned the project after spending billions, stating that the “indications of oil and gas” at their sites were “not sufficient to warrant further exploration.” Ironically, the company’s 2015 decision to quit came five weeks after it had received final U.S. government approval to proceed.After the Arctic work for Shell was cancelled, Aiviq was redesignated as a Multi-Purpose Offshore Vessel (MPOV).

Most recently, she was chartered by the Australian Antarctic Division for the 2021/22 season, refueling other ships and assisting with resupply and changeover of expeditioner teams. She also took part in Australia’s 2022/23 Antarctic operations while its primary ice capable ship, RSV Nuyina, was in maintenance.

Now forevermore to be known as the USCGC Storis (WAGB 21), the Coast Guard is counting on this rugged, capable and multi-mission workboat to provide another generation of service. All indications are, she will do just that. And, not a moment too soon.