President Donald Trump is expected to sign an agreement Thursday paving the way for Bollinger Shipyards to build four new icebreaker vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard, part of a $6 billion deal that will support as many as 600 jobs at the company's Houma shipyard.
The agreement, still preliminary, is part of a larger pact between the U.S. government and Finland to partner on building 11 Arctic Security Cutters, a new class of medium-size vessels that can cut through thick artic ice while performing defense and research missions.
Trump has said he wants to eventually acquire 40 such vessels to protect U.S. security in the Arctic.
Bollinger Shipyards CEO Ben Bordelon was set to meet with Trump, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and other cabinet leaders at the White House on Thursday, acco