Storis makes spring trip to Alaska, bypassing Juneau, for joint exercise near sea ice edge

Coast Guard icebreaker that spent winter getting upgrades in temporary home port of Seattle makes 36-day trip to Bering Sea

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Storis icebreaker sits hove to in the ice while conducting ice liberty for the crew in the Bering Sea on April 17, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Storis icebreaker tested out some winter upgrades in the Bering Sea during the past month, but bypassed its eventual home port of Juneau getting there and back.

The 360-foot-long Storis, commissioned in Juneau last year by officials proclaiming it will provide a boost to the city’s declining population, is temporarily homeported in Seattle while a range of winter-season upgrades to meet Coast Guard specifications are made. Those upgrades, along with dock and other support infrastructure in Juneau, are expected to take at least a few years to complete.

About 120 crew are expected to relocate to Juneau when the vessel is fully upgraded, down from previous estimates of about 200. In the meantime the ship is expected to spend warmer months on deployments in Alaska before returning to Seattle for upgrades.

The recently concluded 36-day voyage included a joint passing exercise in the Bering Sea with the Coast Guard’s Waesche cutter, according to a press release issued Friday.

"The exercise took place in challenging winter conditions less than a mile from the ice edge, with visibility limited to 150 yards," the release notes.

"The crew conducted advanced ice rescue training during the deployment, practicing complex life-saving maneuvers in unforgiving Arctic conditions to prepare for high-risk search and rescue missions in ice-covered waters."

A live-fire gunnery exercise and cutter-to-cutter refueling demonstration also occurred while the Storis was in Alaska, according to the Coast Guard.

The Storis, a private service vessel built in 2012 with a troubled history, was purchased by the Coast Guard in 2024 despite reservations expressed by leaders in previous years the ship "is not suitable for military service without substantial refit.” Congressional members, including some in Alaska’s delegation, spent years advocating for the purchase as a stopgap measure while more capable new icebreakers are built — especially since the first that was supposed to be deployed by 2024 may not be ready until 2030 or later.

"Storis represents a critical bridge to our future icebreaker fleet," Capt. Corey Kerns, commanding officer of Storis, said in a prepared statement in the release issued Friday.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.