The USCG Healy, pictured on an Arctic voyage, was tracked by a Russian vessel as it drew near the Russian Arctic coastline in early September 2005.
THE WATCH STAFF
A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker recently traversed the Arctic Circle to support naval research on the evolution of the Arctic Sea while being tracked by a Russian vessel.
The USCG Healy departed from the U.S. Coast Guard base at Kodiak Island on August 26, sailing into the Bering Strait. The icebreaker later entered the Chukchi Sea on August 30 and continued north into the Arctic Ocean before turning toward the Russian coastline, according to Maritime Executive News.
On September 2, the Russian research vessel Akademik Nemchinov changed course to intercept the Healy. The ships approached within a few kilometers of each other in the East Siberian Sea, the Maritime Executive News reported.
The Healy never entered Russian waters, but the Russians have previously required foreign vessels to obtain prior permission to navigate near its coastline, which is a violation of the U.N. Convention on the Law of Sea’s right of innocent passage, according to the Maritime Executive News.
The Healy is on a scientific mission to collect data on the currents and other oceanographic data in the Arctic Sea.
The Healy’s mission supports the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS). The AMOS is a collection of mobile sensors and systems that drift with the sea current and operate autonomously, collecting data on sea ice, thermodynamics, and the circulation and evolution of the Arctic Ocean, according to an ONR fact sheet.
The Healy has 390 square meters of scientific laboratory space, electronic sensor systems, oceanographic winches and accommodations for up to 50 scientists, according to the Coast Guard website.
The Healy is based in Seattle and regularly voyages to the Arctic region.
In August, the Healy rendezvoused with a Canadian icebreaker in the Beaufort Sea to engage in a crew exchange and joint exercises.
Protecting U.S. interests in the Arctic is a high priority for U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), and the Healy plays a significant role in upholding sovereign rights, promoting economic prosperity and ensuring national security in the region.
More U.S. icebreakers are planned to be built in the coming years as the Arctic warms from climate change and the ice sheets retreat, opening the region to greater navigation and resource extraction.
The Coast Guard has ordered three Polar-class icebreakers with the first projected to be ready by middecade.
The National Strategy for the Arctic Region, released in October 2022, states that procuring more icebreakers is a priority. The value of the large, expensive ships is multidimensional. They can patrol the maritime border between the United States and Russia and track military activity.