Canada: Canada, the United States, and Finland have announced a new “Ice Pact” to build a fleet of polar icebreaker ships. This initiative aims to challenge China’s dominance in the market as countries vie for influence in the Arctic.
As a result of the agreement, which was made public during the NATO summit in Washington, the three nations may manufacture up to 90 icebreaker ships over the next few years.
Canada agreed to construct two polar icebreakers in Vancouver and a fleet of six from shipyards in Quebec as part of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, often known as the Ice Pact.
“As leaders of Arctic nations, Canada, Finland and the United States, recognizing the enduring importance of the region to our collective economic, climate and national security, we resolve to deepen our cooperation to ensure the polar and Arctic regions remain peaceful, cooperative and prosperous,” Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, said in a statement.
“Over the next six months, we also will jointly develop an implementation plan for this collaboration to build these highly complex and critical vessels for our allies and partners with interests and responsibilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions,” Trudeau added.
NATO nations are growing wary as Russia and China have shown interest in using new northern routes for military and commercial interests, given the rapidly changing climate in the Arctic.
The two nations inked a deal to collaborate in the Arctic last year. With 40 ships, Russia has a larger Arctic fleet than the United States and Canada combined.
KNOWLEDGE | Arctic warming spurs carbon emissions; NASA
