Coast Guard To Build Digital Twin for Polar Star.

* The Coast Guard will make a digital copy of its only--and rapidly aging--heavy icebreaker as part of an effort to extend its service life.

Canada-based manufacturer Gastops will collect data on the USCGC Polar Star--a ship built in the 1970s--to create a computer model that can undergo risk assessments at a relatively low cost, said Shaun Horning, president and CEO of the company.

"The value is that if we find an issue ... it can be fixed and resolved, and the cost is probably two orders of magnitude less than if you found it when you had equipment on the ship and then you had to go and make physical changes," he said during an interview.

Engineers will be able to test the icebreaker's performance during various maneuvers such as turning and navigating in icy environments. Based on the trials, engineers can suggest improvements to the platform's design, he said.

Icebreakers are a priority for the service. President Joe Biden's fiscal year 2022 budget request included $15 million to support the Polar Star's life extension effort. The Coast Guard is working to build a new fleet of heavy icebreakers known as Polar Security Cutters. In 2019, VT Halter Marine was awarded a $745.9 million fixed-price, incentive-firm contract for the detail design and construction of the first Polar Security Cutter, which is scheduled to start...