The United States, despite having
substantial scientific operations in Antarctica and seeing ever more activity in its Arctic waters, has been relying on a pair of aging, decades - old heavy icebreakers to maintain mobility in ice - cloaked seas.
It is not surprising considering that the small country has a very high concentration of major pharmaceutical companies: Genzyme, Pfizer, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp & Dohme (part of the US company Merck & Co.), Boston
Scientific, Wyeth, Johson & Johnson, Abbott, and others have
substantial operations in Ireland.