Tthe USCGC Polar Star has been icebreaking in the Southern Ocean summer in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2026, including rescuing a cruise ship stuck in pack ice. Meanwhile, in the winter Northern hemisphere, US Coast Guard icebreaking tugs have been hard at work breaking ice in harbors along the East Coast, including New York Harbor.
Toward the end of January, Winter Storm Fern swept across North America, extending from northern Mexico and the southern United States to the Northeast and into Canada. The storm brought significant snowfall and high winds. Over a million customers lost power, and approximately 146 people lost their lives in the storm. The weather system moved into the Northeast, where it began to transition into a nor’easter, which battered the region with gusty winds and heavy snow.
In the deep freeze that followed the storm, New York Harbor began to ice up. A mosaic of ice formed and spread quickly across the harbor and the Hudson River, with significant ice packs impacting the waterways north through the Hudson Valley. Shore and drift ice formed throughout the area, with forecasts indicating continued ice growth over the coming days as cold temperatures persist.
NYC Ferry service was suspended due to icy conditions in the Hudson and East Rivers as freezing temperatures blanket the metro area, according to the system.
The separately managed Staten Island Ferry continued to run on a regular weekday schedule, according to a spokesperson for the city’s transportation department.
While the US has only three operational polar icebreakers and one heavy Great Lakes icebreaker, the Coast Guard also operates nine 140-foot Bay Class tugs and eleven 65-foot small harbor tugs for clearing ice from shipping channels and harbors.
The Coast Guard immediately deployed three icebreaking tugs homeported in Bayonne, New Jersey, to begin operations, ensuring the continued delivery of fuel, heating oil, and other vital commodities and services. Two 140-foot Bay-class icebreaking tugs, the CGC Penobscot Bay and the CGC Sturgeon Bay, were joined by the 65-foot harbor tug CGC Hawser as part of Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters (OP RENEW).
In addition to keeping the waterways and docks accessible, the Cutter Hawser successfully broke ice and freed the NYPD Harbor David after the vessel became beset near Pier 86 on the Hudson River while underway on January 27, 2026. Working alongside its local partners, Hawser ensured the NYPD vessel could safely reposition and continue operations.