An icebreaker supposedly could arrive in Juneau as soon as the summer of 2026, but it seems officials will have plenty of time beyond that to figure out housing and other living arrangements for the roughly 600 people that supposedly will relocate here due to the ship’s deployment.
An initial commissioning crew of about 60 officers and enlisted personnel is expected to be assigned to the newly acquired (and renamed) Storis cutter, according to a Coast Guard report. However, while initial work including a new paint job has occurred since the Guard Guard acquired the 12-year-old private vessel, extensive upgrades are needed to both the vessel and shore facilities in Juneau before it is ready for its full range of intended duties.
“Once the CGC Storis has been retrofitted it will have a crew assigned, however it will be several years before families arrive in Juneau,” a Coast Guard spokesperson wrote in an email Monday to the Empire. “In addition to making the Storis fit for military service, the Coast Guard will need to make shoreside infrastructure investments to accommodate the ship. The design work needed to determine the scale and scope of the project can take several years, and construction will take additional time.”
The Storis, originally known as the Aiviq when it was put into use as a private vessel in 2012, is intended to be a stopgap vessel while more capable Polar Security Cutters are built to replace the Coast Guard’s aging polar region fleet. Officials have said the Storis could begin limited duties in Alaska as soon as 2026, but further upgrades to the vessel will be needed for full deployment.
Last year’s announcement the icebreaker will be homeported in Juneau was hailed by many local officials, along with members of Alaska’s congressional delegation who advocated for the deployment, as an economic boon at a time the area is struggling with a long-term population decline and workforce shortages in many industries.
However, Juneau is also suffering an ongoing housing shortage, as well as a lack of services such as childcare, and ensuring the purported 190 crew members of the Storis and their 400 family members are well-situated when they move here has been an issue of much discussion and concern.
”The Coast Guard is also working with the City of Juneau to address servicemember needs associated with vessel homeporting such as housing, medical, and childcare,” the spokesperson’s email sent Monday notes.
The ship is expected to be based at the current Coast Guard station along the downtown waterfront, but extensive dock, maintenance facility and other infrastructure are needed, officials have stated.
“Initial planning process for waterfront upgrades to support the Storis have begun,” the email sent Monday notes. “While a more comprehensive list will eventually be developed, this planning effort will evaluate items such as existing utility capacity to account for increased Coast Guard demand from both new shore facilities and the Storis at the Juneau waterfront, as well as environmental permitting, an evaluation on water depth and dredging, and the eventual movement of the current NOAA operations to another location in Juneau.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
