HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Dignitaries at a steel-cutting ceremony Wednesday in Finland marked the start of work on a new Canadian icebreaker to be named the Polar Max and aimed at bolstering Arctic defense.

The event marked the concrete beginning of a trilateral partnership of the United States, Canada and Finland announced by the White House in July 2024 to bolster defenses in a region where Russia has been increasingly active.

Russia has vastly more icebreaker ships than the U.S. and Canada at a time when climate change has made the remote but strategically important Arctic more accessible.

The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, aims to leverage Finland’s advanced shipbuilding expertise and technologies to help meet U.S. and Canadian demand for new icebreakers.

Canada’s minister for defense procurement, Stephen Fuhr, said his country is bringing its coast guard into the military and that investing in the Arctic is important for the future.

“The North is opening up, there are many reasons to be up there,” Fuhr said. “There’s security issues, resource development.”

The hull will be built at Helsinki Shipyard before being transported to Canada where it’s expected to be completed in Levis, Quebec by 2030.

Quebec’s Economy Minister Christopher Skeete highlighted the benefits of cooperating on the building of the new icebreaker.

“It’s a partnership and we have a shared responsibility for the North, so this is a unique and very opportune partnership that allows us to leverage the strengths of both our countries in terms of maritime Arctic protection,” he said.