HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Dignitaries at a steel-cutting ceremony Wednesday in Finland marked the start of work on a new Canadian icebreaker to be named the Polar Max and aimed at bolstering Arctic defense.

The event marked the concrete beginning of a trilateral partnership of the United States, Canada and Finland announced by the White House in July 2024 to bolster defenses in a region where Russia has been increasingly active.

Russia has vastly more icebreaker ships than the U.S. and Canada at a time when climate change has made the remote but strategically important Arctic more accessible.

The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, aims to leverage Finland’s advanced shipbuilding expertise and technologies to help meet U.S. and Canadian demand for new icebreakers.

Canada’s min

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