Finnish shipbuilding firm Rauma Marine Constructions is in negotiations with the United States Coast Guard over the potential construction of several icebreakers, Helsingin Sanomat reported on Friday.
The information was confirmed to the newspaper by three sources familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, the Rauma shipyard is in talks to build up to five medium-sized icebreakers, with exploratory discussions also underway regarding three larger vessels. The order for the five mid-sized ships is estimated to be worth around 2.5 billion euros.
However, negotiations do not guarantee a deal. The US Coast Guard has approached several shipyards around the world to assess their capacity to deliver icebreakers within 36 months. The CEO of Rauma shipyard declined to comment on the matter.
Yle News Reporter Matthew Schilke covered the Finnish icebreaking industry and what a possible deal would mean for the US and Finland in the article below.
US President Donald Trump announced in January that the United States intends to acquire 40 large icebreakers. Some experts, including Finnish specialists in icebreaker construction, have described the figure as highly unrealistic.
Nonetheless, even a single order awarded to a Finnish shipyard could bring a significant boost to the economy, creating jobs and generating substantial revenue.
The topic gained attention after Finnish President Alexander Stubb met with Trump in Florida in late March, where, according to Trump, they discussed icebreaker procurement.
Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who visited Washington just over a week ago, also raised the matter in discussions with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.
"We will likely have concrete news fairly soon," Valtonen said at the time, adding that talks had advanced regarding the potential sale of Finnish-built icebreakers to the United States.