US Coast Guard seeks national and foreign suppliers for light and medium icebreakers
USCG WTGB cutters break ice in the Straits of Mackinac on the Great Lakes. (Photo: US Coast Guard)
Contracts for new light and medium cutters are expected to be awarded in mid-2026.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) is conducting market research to identify available light and medium icebreaker designs. As part of the domestic icebreaking programme, the service issued two requests for information (RfIs) last week and is seeking potential suppliers from the US and allied nations’ maritime industrial bases.
The deadline for submitting the design and the company’s information is 10 November, while the grant of agreements is planned for mid-2026. The new capabilities will replace the WYTL-65 Small Harbor Tugs and the WTGB-140 Bay-class tugboats, which have been in service for more than 35 years.
According to the RfI papers,
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