Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, has been pushing the U.S. Coast Guard to buy or lease a polar ice-breaking ship owned by one of his top campaign contributors, although the Coast Guard has repeatedly said the vessel doesn’t meet its needs.
The ship in question, the Aiviq, is a privately-owned, commercial vessel with mid-level ability to break paths through frozen arctic seas. It made national news in 2012 when it suffered mechanical failure and lost control of an oil rig it was towing. The rig ran aground off Kodiak Island in Alaska.
The Coast Guard says the Aiviq does not meet its needs, in particular because the vessel lacks military capabilities. Hunter has argued that the ship is a necessary and viable fleet option as melting polar ice opens the region to commercial traffic, putting more ships at risk.
Contributors connected to the Aiviq’s owner, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Edison Chouest Offshore, have given at least $18,000 to Hunter’s campaign since January 2015.