The Coast Guard has conducted the International Ice Patrol (IIP) since 1913 in order to detect icebergs in North Atlantic shipping lanes and warn shipping accordingly. The IIP is funded by 19 signatory nations in proportion to their vessel tonnage transiting the area during the ice season. The IIP uses long range aircraft equipped with Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) and Forward Looking Airborne Radar (FLAR/ISAR) to detect icebergs and determine the limits of all known ice in the patrol region. The Polar Class Icebreakers break ice to form the shipping lanes.
