Sen. King pushing funding for more Arctic icebreakers
U.S. Sen. Angus King is advocating for the construction of more Coast Guard icebreakers, a move that he says would benefit the state’s economy.
The Portland Press Herald reported that King, an independent from Maine, says more icebreakers are needed to maintain Arctic shipping lanes between the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Ocean, shipping routes that will become more feasible as global temperatures warm.
Maine could benefit from more Coast Guard icebreakers, which cost about $1 billion to build, because its ports are the closest U.S. ports to the eastern end of the passage, and Bath Iron Works would be well-positioned to win a contract to build the vessels, King told the Press Herald.
The United States has two icebreakers under Coast Guard command and three others owned privately, according to the paper.
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