Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping

Far from smooth sailing┬áOperating in the Arctic Circle presents problems that few could imagine let alone cope with, as Alan T Swaby learns. Imagine offloading a freight container where there are no docks, jetties or even pontoons. To make matters worse, thereÔÇÖs a 50-foot tide and a sea full of ice. Even if itÔÇÖs not the middle of the night, which it could well be, thereÔÇÖs a good chance that visibility is not good.┬á It sounds like a nightmare, but for NEAS (Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping) itÔÇÖs what they face on a daily basis. Well, not quite daily because the season allows them to move around in the cold, inhospitable and icy seas for less than half the year. The rest of the time the area is closed to any vessels without polar ice-breaking capabilities.NEAS has its roots in Logistec Corporation which, through a series of mergers and a joint venture with The North West Company, the largest retailer in the Arctic and Alaska, eventually became known as NEAS in 1998. The major shareholders these days are three Inuit Birthright Corporations. As such, NEAS is much more than just a marine carrier. ItÔÇÖs an integral member of the Inuit community and a direct economic link between CanadaÔÇÖs Eastern Arctic and the rest of the world. Vice president Suzanne Paquin has been intimately involved with the business for over 20 years and has seen the business grow from a single vessel to a fleet of four LloydÔÇÖs Ice Class 1 ships. She has also seen the territory open up under a new form of government, a complete shift in operational procedures and the effects of climate change. ÔÇ£When I started in this business,ÔÇØ she says, ÔÇ£our sailing season lasted 120 days. Now we get another 20 or even 30 days.ÔÇØNot that long ago everything that went north was crated, a highly inefficient system that led to pilfering, damage and a lot of waste and pollution. Although there has been some resistance to change, containers are now much more prevalent but not by any means universal. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a slow process of education and conversion,ÔÇØ explains Paquin. ÔÇ£People are conservative and often reluctant to change the habits of a lifetime, despite there being numerous advantages. But bit by bit weÔÇÖre spreading the word.ÔÇØThereÔÇÖs no doubt that containers have simplified the work of NEAS captains and crews. In an area largely devoid of infrastructure and with huge geographical differences to contend with, the vessels have to be completely self-sufficient. As such, each ship is equipped with two tugs needed to maneuver the two cargo barges plus a full complement of lights, generators and lifting equipment including derricks and front-end loaders.A typical scenario will see the ship waiting for the optimum point in the tides. An advance team then goes in and clears the landing area of ice. A ramp is set up on the first of the two barges carrying whatever hardware is needed to get the rest of the cargo on shore. ItÔÇÖs work that has to be carried out around the clock and in whatever conditions prevail.Eighty percent of the population served by NEAS are Inuits, with many of the elders having been born in igloos. These days, the population is heavily slanted toward the young, with around 60 percent under the age of 25. As such, much of the cargo revolves around day-to-day living requirements. Often, houses in kit form are delivered. Naturally, building such houses is not an overnight process, therefore the containers need to be packed with components in the order they will be needed. Similarly, with one delivery per year, communities donÔÇÖt want to find that anything is missing from the inventory. In such conditions, transportersÔÇÖ reputations are as good as their last satisfactory delivery.Over and above the aboriginal population, there are now dozens of mineral extraction or exploration projects that need servicing. Canada is the worldÔÇÖs third-largest producer of diamonds, and it also has gold, nickel and zinc mines. In addition, a source of iron said to be 66 percent pure has been found that will surely create a huge workload for the regionÔÇÖs shippers.Although NEAS benefits from its Inuit connections and the regionÔÇÖs Inuit preference policy, it is not without competition. As a result, NEAS must always be striving to provide better service. As part of this process it has simplified considerably the way in which freight bookings are made. Customers once needed to engage up to a half-dozen different agents to handle the various parts of the shipment. This has now been simplified to a single call to NEAS.NEAS seeks to provide training programs and employment opportunities for Inuits on its ships, but the prospect of being away from families and friends for the best five months of the year are not always appealing. Finding skilled crews can be a challenge, especially for the more technical engineering positions.┬á Although there is no sailing during the winter, Paquin is still kept very busy. This is the time when marketing and public relations come to the front. Not only do communities need to be visited and sold on the advantages NEAS can offer, there is also a good deal of lobbying called for among government departments in what is a highly regulated business. On May 1st the business opens its doors to the public once more, and time is spent preparing shipments to go north on the first sailing in June.Paquin is bullish about the future and sees considerable growth and prosperity for the Arctic region, particularly with a government that is now much more focused and involved with business activities. Thanks to a cost-of-living indexed contract, NEAS is isolated from cost increases that cause problems for global shippers. As such, itÔÇÖs in a better position to plan for the future, and high on the agenda is investment in infrastructure that could put an end to waiting on the high sea for the next 50-foot tide to occur.┬á