Blog: Are Denmark’s new frigates Arctic-ready?

Over here in Canada there was plenty of controversy in 2013 over the cost of the country’s new Arctic patrol ships.
For those of you who may have missed it, CBC News journalist Terry Milewski did a series of stories about how Canada was paying Irving Shipbuilding $288 million to design a fleet of Arctic patrol ships. (Again, the amount was to design them, not build them.)
Turns out, this amount was vastly over what other countries have paid to design and build their Arctic ships. The report gave examples such as Norway, where their ship was designed and built for under $100 million in 2002.
Now it looks like Denmark is having a similar problem.
But unlike Canada, it’s not about cost, but about function.
The Arctic Journal posted a story today about how the Danes are facing a similar “Ooops” moment when it comes to five new ships.
Apparently, the frigates, at a cost of 10 billion Danish kroner, aren’t fitted up to sail the icy waters off Greenland. Or any Arctic ice for that matter.
And on top or everything, they’re apparently too big to sail Greenland’s fjords.
The article is definitely worth a read and highlights how rapidly Arctic needs and politics are changing in the world’s circumpolar countries.
For more from The Arctic Journal article, click here