The US Coast Guard’s largest ship — the icebreaker Healy — reached the North Pole on September 30 on what was only the second unaccompanied trip there by a US ship.

The trip comes amid increasing concern about military activity in the Arctic, where climate change is making waterways more accessible. Perceptions of an icebreaker gap have been a major worry, with US officials warning that the US’s two aging vessels are a far cry from the Russian and Chinese fleets.

Healy has sailed to the North Pole three times since it entered service in 1999. In 2015 it became the first US ship to reach the pole unaccompanied. For the icebreaker’s latest trip to the pole, part of a monthslong oceanographic mission that began in July, it left Alaska in early September, conducting research along the way.

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The crew was “proud” to reach the pole, Healy’s commanding officer, Capt. Kenneth Boda, said in a release, calling it a “rare opportunity” and “a highlight of our Coast Guard careers.”

Read more: yahoo