It seems that China has had 5 (five) icebreakers operating in the Arctic. For those of us who do not associate China with the Arctic – it seems that the Arctic route from Russia’s northern oil-producing regions to China is significantly faster than going through the Suez Canal … and keeps those oil tankers out of reach of the grasping Europeans.
It is a strange world where the United States with territories within the Arctic Circle has fewer icebreakers than toasty China – and about an order of magnitude less ability to build icebreakers than recently-backwards China. It is unfortunate that the book title “While America Slept” has already been used.
China Deploys Five Icebreakers Near Alaska in Unprecedented Arctic Move
" In a significant show of Arctic prowess, China has dispatched five icebreaking research vessels to the region. … The U.S. Coast Guard is currently operating one icebreaker, the USCGC Healy, in the Arctic."