DFO to kill marine fee for Arctic-bound sealift

The federal government says it will introduce a permanent exemption of a fee for commercial ships doing community resupply across the Arctic later this year. (FILE PHOTO)

The federal government says it will introduce a permanent exemption of a fee for commercial ships doing community resupply across the Arctic later this year.

That would affect sealift activity operating between southern ports and communities in Nunavik and Nunavut.

The Marine Navigation Service Fee was originally charged to help the Canadian Coast Guard recover the costs of providing navigation and ice-breaking services to vessels in Canadian waters.

The fees vary depending on the region and the type of vessel, but since 1998, Canadian ships with a gross tonnage of more than 1,000 tonnes would pay an annual fee of $5,900, plus an extra fee per tonne.

The permanent exemption of the fee will actually replace a moratorium on the marine fee that has been in place since 2008 — a fee that was previously in place for ships conducting Arctic community resupply north of 60.

Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping called the move “good news” in a tweet posted Jan. 16.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the new permanent exemption would take effect prior to the start of the 2012 Arctic shipping season.

But the fee exemption will not apply to commercial ships doing activities unrelated to community resupply, such as tourism, natural resource extraction and refueling of other vessels.

The Canadian Coast Guard says it will first consult with marine industry stakeholders and Arctic shipping companies on the exemption before the launch of the 2012 Arctic shipping season.