The mission of the International Ice Patrol is to monitor the iceberg danger near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and provide the iceberg limit to the maritime community. The tragic sinking of the luxury passenger liner RMS TITANIC in 1912 prompted the maritime nations with ships transiting the North Atlantic to establish an iceberg patrol in the area. Since 1913, the United States Coast Guard has been tasked with the management and operation of the patrol, known as the International Ice Patrol (IIP).

Except for the years of the two World Wars, The Ice Patrol has been active each ice season since 1913. During this period, the Ice Patrol has amassed an enviable safety record. No vessel that has heeded the Ice Patrol's published iceberg limit has collided with an iceberg.

Ice Patrol and the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) issue one daily iceberg analysis under the North American Ice Service (NAIS), a collaborative agreement to unify North American ice information and improve service to mariners.  The iceberg analysis is published in text bulletins and a graphical chart by 0000Z and when changing conditions require a revision.