China deploys icebreaker fleet near Alaska amid Arctic competition

Four Chinese icebreakers that departed two weeks ago have arrived in the Arctic to conduct operations near Alaskan territorial waters. This movement has prompted the United States to break a 60-year principle of domestic construction by licensing Finnish technology to build new ships.

The movements of major powers surrounding the Arctic Ocean are becoming increasingly intense. China, which has no coastline directly touching the Arctic Ocean, has joined the competition for Arctic hegemony by deploying icebreaker fleets as far as the territorial waters near Alaska. As a Chinese icebreaker fleet recently arrived in the Arctic to begin operations, the United States is accelerating its own movements to counter this presence.

According to an analysis by Kwon Hyo-jae presented by Dr. Choi Jun-young's Globe Institute, the Arctic region has become a battlefield centered on two key pillars: security and resource development. The United States is feeling security threats, such as frequent instances of Russian bombers approaching its airspace in the northern Alaska region, and is tense over the fact that Chinese icebreaker fleets are repeatedly conducting exploration work right in front of Alaskan territorial waters. In fact, it is reported that four Chinese icebreakers that departed two weeks ago have arrived in the Arctic and are currently conducting operations.

Icebreakers based on Finnish technology; Russia holds overwhelming advantage

Unlike ordinary vessels, icebreakers are high-cost equipment designed for the specific purpose of breaking ice, with production costs exceeding five times those of standard ships. There are two main methods for breaking ice: pushing through it horizontally using the ship's power, or riding on top of the ice and breaking it vertically using the ship's weight. When ice is uneven and forms mountain-like chunks, pushing with power has limits, making the technology to crush ice with weight essential. If the ice is too thick and the ship becomes trapped, highly advanced technology is required to create a path through complex maneuvers involving repeated reversing and steering to move side-to-side.

Finland is the technological leader in this field. Although Finland experienced the historical hardship of having to hand over icebreaking technology to the Soviet Union as reparations after World War II, it overcame this through desperate innovation and now possesses the world's best icebreaker design and equipment technology. It is no exaggeration to say that the core of global icebreaker technology currently resides in Finland.

Looking at national holdings, Russia's dominance is striking. Russia possesses a vast border area, accounting for half of the Arctic Ocean coastline, and currently operates 105 icebreakers. In particular, Russia occupies a significant portion of the world's icebreaking capacity because it is the only country that possesses "nuclear-powered icebreakers" capable of heading directly to the North Pole even in the middle of winter. Russia is not satisfied with its current fleet and is constructing additional larger-scale icebreakers. The reason Russia is investing so heavily in icebreakers is the economic and strategic necessity to secure logistics networks in the Arctic Ocean region north of Siberia and to supply materials to Arctic coastal cities without interruption even in winter.

Canada is also a major Arctic nation. Due to the characteristic of very thick ice caused by the lack of ocean currents, and a complex web of inland waterways and maritime transport networks such as Hudson Bay, Canada possesses a significant number of icebreakers. However, Canada's current icebreaker fleet is aging, and to address this, a modernization project is underway to secure 16 new icebreakers starting from the year before last.

Why the United States bowed its pride; the true purpose hidden behind China's 'scientific exploration'

In contrast, the situation for the United States is precarious. The United States currently only possesses third-generation icebreakers, and even those are aging, resulting in very low operational rates. The largest vessel, Polar Star, was built over 50 years ago, and the remaining ships are in poor condition, making normal operation difficult due to frequent repairs. To fill this security gap, the United States recently made a drastic decision. Breaking the principle of domestic construction, it chose to build four ships in Finland and license-produce seven other ships within the United States using Finnish technology. This is the first such occurrence in 60 years, and evaluations within U.S. political circles suggest the nation has bowed its pride for the sake of national security.

The decisive reason the United States is moving so urgently is China's expansion. Although China is not a member of the Arctic Council and has no territory directly touching the Arctic Ocean, it already possesses seven icebreakers. While two of these are rudimentary icebreakers for entering and exiting ports and naval bases in China's inland Bohai Bay, four of the remaining five research icebreakers are continuously gathering in the Arctic Ocean near Alaska to conduct exploration. While China uses the pretext of "scientific exploration," experts interpret this as preliminary work for the development of core Arctic resources. In particular, China's activities are being carried out repeatedly and persistently enough to stimulate U.S. security concerns.

Status of Chinese icebreakers and the competition for Arctic route dominance

The Xue Long 1, a representative vessel operated by China, is a model introduced from a ship originally manufactured in Ukraine and underwent two major large-scale refits. While the ship boasts a size of 167m, its icebreaking capability is somewhat low compared to its hull size. Xue Long 1 has a strong character as an "icebreaking cargo ship" specialized for constructing polar bases or supplying materials to the Siberian coast rather than dedicated icebreaking. However, this vessel has limitations in meeting the Polar Class standards required to break through thick winter ice. Typically, a grade of PC 3 or higher is required to break through thick winter ice.

Ultimately, these movements by China are closely linked to the competition for Arctic resource development. It is interpreted that China is executing a meticulous strategy to secure future Arctic shipping routes and leadership in resource development by strengthening its activities in the Arctic border regions through its icebreaker fleet. The icebreaker competition in the Arctic, involving the United States, Russia, and even China—which has no Arctic territory—is transforming into a massive battlefield over future resources and security hegemony, moving beyond simple technological competition.

Source: original video (YouTube)