Korea, Japan may leverage icebreaker capabilities in U.S. tariff negotiations amid Arctic shipping expansion

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Korea, Japan may leverage icebreaker capabilities in U.S. tariff negotiations amid Arctic shipping expansion

Published: 28 May. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 28 May. 2025, 13:51

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hanwha Ocean's icebreaker [HANWHA OCEAN]

Korea and Japan's icebreaker-building capabilities are emerging as potential leverage in ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States, as Washington seeks partners to develop Arctic shipping routes to counter Chinese and Russian influence.

“Japan holds a significant technological edge in icebreaker construction [over the United States],” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in Kyoto on Sunday. “Icebreakers, including their use in the Arctic route, could become a focal point of Japan-U.S. cooperation.”

Ishiba reportedly plans to finalize tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump during the Group of 7 summit in Canada in mid-June, with icebreaker collaboration being one of his proposed bargaining chips.

Demand for icebreakers is expected to grow as the need to open Arctic shipping lanes also increases, especially for the United States. The United States is projected to order 10 icebreakers from this year until 2037, according to a recent report by the Korea Federation of Korean Industries, authored by Professor Ryu Min-cheol of Korea Maritime & Ocean University.

“If Arctic routes between Europe and the U.S. West Coast expand, we could see more orders,” Professor Ryu told the JoongAng Ilbo. “Korea is one of the only countries with experience building commercial icebreakers, giving it a technological advantage over Japan, which has mainly constructed research vessels.”

Icebreaker Arctic Route graphic

Icebreakers are typically divided into two types: conventional vessels that break ice with their bows and more advanced Arc-7 class ships that feature aft-mounted podded propulsion systems, allowing them to break ice in both directions. The “Arc” classification, set by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, designates higher numbers according to the ship's icebreaking capabilities. The Arc-7 can autonomously navigate through ice up to 2.1 meters (6.9 feet) thick — commonly used for large commercial ships.

Korea has built numerous Arc-7 class vessels. In 2005, Samsung Heavy Industries became the first company globally to construct a two-way icebreaking oil tanker — which means the ship can just propel backward if the ice gets too thick in the initial direction. In 2019, the company signed a deal with Russia’s state-owned Zvezda Shipyard to design and partially build 15 Arc-7 icebreaking LNG carriers, with components built in South Gyeongsang's Geoje and shipped to Russia for final assembly.

Hanwha Ocean, then known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, also delivered 15 Arc-7 icebreaking LNG carriers for Russia's Yamal LNG project in 2014, and is currently building six more for various global clients.

Japan, in contrast, has only built small- and medium-sized icebreakers for research and observation purposes, including the 13,000-ton Mirai 2, slated to launch in 2026, and the Shirase, used for Antarctic missions since 2009. These are considerably smaller than the 100,000-ton-class commercial icebreakers used in Arctic LNG shipping.

A picture of the Araon icebreaker [KOREA POLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE]

A picture of the Araon icebreaker on Jan. 1, 2012 [YONHAP]

“Japan’s limited experience with smaller vessels would lead to significant trial and error if they pursued large icebreaker contracts,” a Korean shipbuilding industry insider said.

Icebreakers are coming into the spotlight due to the Arctic shipping routes' growing strategic and commercial value. These routes can reduce transportation time and costs by up to 30 percent compared to traditional passages.

For instance, the Northern Sea Route from Korea to Europe is approximately 15,000 kilometers (9,321 miles), or 25 percent shorter than the Suez Canal route, which is 20,000 kilometers.

As global warming accelerates, year-round navigation may become feasible around 2030. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, has included Arctic route development in his campaign pledges.

For the United States, Arctic expansion is also a way to counter the growing military and strategic cooperation between China and Russia. During a summit earlier this month, Beijing and Moscow included Sino-Russian Arctic cooperation in their joint statement, fueling speculation of a deeper commercial and military presence in the region.

“Washington sees the need to contain Russia and China, but lacks sufficient icebreaking capability,” said Jang Sang-sik, a senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association. “Now is the time for Korea to take the initiative by proposing cooperation, thereby leading the negotiations and even securing equity in Arctic infrastructure through joint investment.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]