The Seattle-based heavy icebreaker was there for a logistics stop as part of a months-long deployment in the Arctic to safeguard the country’s maritime sovereignty and security in the polar area, which include patrolling the Bering and Chukchi Seas and the Maritime Boundary Line between the U.S. and Russia.
The crew supported scientific research efforts such as deploying four ice buoys as part of a scientific partnership with the University of Washington and Office of Naval Research. The crew also sent multiple sensors to study Arctic waters for the National Science Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
While at Dutch Harbor, no one will be allowed on or off the vessel to minimize COVID-19 exposure, unless it’s for pre-approved logistical reasons.
From Dutch Harbor, Polar Star crew members will head north and “continue to hone the crew’s icebreaking proficiency, conduct scientific research, and patrol to detect and deter illegal fishing by foreign vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone,” the agency said.
