Marinette Marine shipyard in the US has launched the US Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, an advanced icebreaker intended for use on the Great Lakes that combines diesel electric machinery with podded propulsion. Designed to combine a heavy icebreaking capability with the role of a technically advanced and highly capable buoy tender, Mackinaw (WLBB 30) has a number of secondary missions, including Search & Rescue, marine environmental response (through the deployment of a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System, VOSS and two inflatable barges with a capacity of 28,000 gallons each), and maritime law enforcement. The Coast Guard is required by law to maintain a heavy icebreaking capability on the Great Lakes to ensure that channels and harbours remain open, and was directed by Congress to acquire a new Great Lakes Icebreaker (GLIB) using funding provided in the 2000 fiscal budget. A contract for the design and construction of the vessel was awarded to Marinette Marine, part of the Manitowoc group, in October 2001.
展开▼
