Polar Seas - Naval Gazing >> .
The Eurasian Arctic Littoral is a largely coastal component of the Eurasian mainland. A handful of Arctic Ocean islands can serve as chokepoints, and are largely controlled by the Russian Federation, though Svalbard is an archipelago controlled by Norway.
The strategic Northern Sea Route hugs the northern coast of Eurasia, providing a connection between Europe and Asia. The NSR is shorter than travel through the Suez Canal and Strait of Malacca. Chokepoints along the NSR include the Barents Sea gap between Norway and Svalbard. Bear Island lies at the midpoint, and multiple chokepoints exist between Russian islands and archipelagos.
The Northern Sea Route is already largely in operation. Domestic Russian commerce operates year-round in a portion of the route. The remainder is open during the summer season, allowing for trade between Europe and Asia. This route boasts open waters, but relies upon additional support from the Russian Federation’s fleet of 14 nuclear-powered icebreakers.
As part of their larger Belt and Road Initiative, China has also invested heavily in their "Polar Silk Road". This includes the construction of two additional icebreakers.
As the Arctic melts, the NSR corridor will permit significantly larger traffic flows. By allowing Russia to achieve its centuries-old dream of holding blue water ports and subsequent access to global commerce, an Arctic route will be fundamentally transformative to the Russian economy.
Access to blue water ports and commercial routes will be fundamentally transformative to the Russian economy. The the Ob’ River, the Yeinsei, and the Lena comprise the major Siberian inland waterways opening into the Arctic. Although Siberia is the most resource rich region within the Russian Federation, extraction can prove cost prohibitive because the physical geography renders the construction of lengthy overland transportation corridors extremely difficult. Conversely, implementation of large scale river transportation from the heart of Russia to Arctic ports would dramatically lower the cost and risk of resource extraction — opening this traditional backwater to global commerce. Increasing commerce and infrastructure could attract a population boom. In addition, landlocked, but resource-rich Kazakhstan and Mongolia could gain access to these inland waterways and Arctic ports.
The seafloor comprises the final economically important region of the Arctic — with potential fishing rights, crude oil, and other mineral resources at stake.
Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels:
Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels are warships of the
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) built within the
Government of Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) procurement project, part of the
National Shipbuilding Strategy. In July 2007 the federal government announced plans for acquiring six to eight
icebreaking warships for the RCN.
The vessels are modelled on the
Norwegian Coast Guard NoCGV Svalbard and as of 2007 were projected to cost
CA$3.5 billion to construct with a total project procurement budgeted to cost $4.3 billion in order to cover maintenance over the 25-year lifespan of the vessels. In 2018 it was reported that the cost of the first six ships had increased by $810 million over previous projections. In 2023 it was reported that the cost for the first six ships had increased by a further $780 million and that of the two envisaged vessels for the Coast Guard by an additional $100 million.
The
lead ship of the class was announced as
Harry DeWolf in September 2014, and four additional ships were named in 2015. Construction of the ships
Harry DeWolf and
Margaret Brooke started at the
Halifax Shipyards in September 2015 and September 2016, respectively.
Harry DeWolf and
Margaret Brooke were originally planned to be delivered in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Harry DeWolf was officially launched on 15 September 2018.
Margaret Brooke was launched on 10 November 2019.
Max Bernays began construction in December 2017 and
William Hall was also planned to begin in 2017, although construction was delayed to early 2019.
Max Bernays was launched in October 2021, and was followed by
William Hall in 2022.
Frédérick Rolette was scheduled to begin construction in 2019, with construction on
Robert Hampton Gray expected to begin in 2021. They were originally planned to be completed by 2022 and 2023, respectively. However, in 2020 it was confirmed that ships five and six (
Frédérick Rolette and
Robert Hampton Gray) would not begin construction until 2021 and 2022 respectively.
On 22 May 2019, an official announcement was made to begin the process of building two vessels for the
Canadian Coast Guard, bringing the total number of ships in the class to eight
