The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest icebreaker, USCGC Storis (WAGB 21), has begun its first Arctic mission after successfully transiting the Panama Canal.
This is the first polar icebreaker acquired by the Coast Guard in more than 25 years.
Storis left Bollinger Shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on June 3, 2025. It reached the northern entrance of the Panama Canal on June 11 and waited for 18 hours outside Limon Bay, near the Gatun locks. The vessel then started its canal transit, which took around eight hours, and exited the Miraflores locks late on June 12.
Though U.S. military vessels have had the right to quick passage through the Panama Canal since it was handed over to Panama in 1999, it wasn’t confirmed if Storis received any special treatment. The U.S. Coast Guard and Panama Canal Authority didn’t comment on whether the icebreaker paid transit fees or was given free passage.
However, a document confirmed that
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