gCaptain Article: U.S. Polar Security Cutter Delayed to 2033 as Costs Top $6 Billion, GAO Warns
The U.S. Coast Guard’s first Polar Security Cutter won’t be delivered until March 2033 — roughly nine years behind the original 2024 target — according to a new Government Accountability Office report. The watchdog pegs the lead heavy icebreaker’s cost at about $3.4 billion, with total approved program funding for three vessels now topping $6 billion. Full operational capability isn’t projected until March 2039.
The GAO assessment contradicts Coast Guard leadership’s public 2030 delivery target. The report flags unresolved construction risks and production schedules that have yet to be fully validated, warning the risks “call into question whether the lead PSC will be delivered later than 2033.” Builder Bollinger Shipyards, which inherited the program when it acquired VT Halter Marine in 2022, needs to grow its workforce by roughly 40% to stay on track.
The Polar Security Cutter is intended to replace the Polar Star, the nation’s only heavy icebreaker, in service since 1976. Full production was approved in December 2024, with construction beginning in May 2025.
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Original Article from gCaptain| Written by Malte Humpert
