Washington thought about, to buy a new icebreaker, to sail the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean, writes The Wall Street Journal.
According to the newspaper, Russia has up to 40 icebreakers, China is increasingly seeking to strengthen its fleet, to become a "great polar power", and the US is playing catch up.
America currently has only two icebreakers - the heavy Polar Star and the medium Healy, which ten years ago exhausted their service life, newspaper writes.
To somehow make up for lost time, US Coast Guard intends to acquire a vessel, capable of breaking ice, private company Edison Chouest Offshore. The cost of the ship is estimated at up to 150 millions of dollars. It will operate in arctic waters.
Icebreakers are needed by the US Navy in order to, to be able to approach foreign ships in frozen waters or conduct search and rescue operations, According to the publication. Besides, The Arctic is interesting, that it is possible to organize oil production there, develop commercial fishing. The importance of the Arctic is difficult to overestimate militarily.
Recall, that even under President Donald Trump, the possibility of adopting a program to create an American fleet of icebreakers for navigation in the ice of the Arctic and Antarctic was considered. Author:Bekhan Uzhakhov Photos used:Wikipedia
