Icebreaking wraps up after “challenging” year in Canada’s Arctic

The CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier escorts the tugboat Kelly Ovayuak, Parks Canada vessel David Thompson and the trawler M/V Frosti in the Beaufort Sea off Cape Bathurst, N.W.T. (PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS)

Heavy ice conditions in the Arctic this summer set the Canadian Coast Guard up for a “particularly challenging year,” says Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“Extreme and challenging ice conditions this season resulted in difficult transit of some vessels in the Northwest Passage,” said a news release issued by the federal department on Monday, Nov. 19.

“In addition to icebreaking services, coast guard successfully responded to 20 search and rescue and 14 environmental response incidents.”

Seven icebreakers were deployed as ship escorts, navigation support, search and rescue response, and for science missions and training projects.

The coast guard’s Arctic operations logs show that, as of Nov. 5, those ships completed the following: “93 commercial escorts, 23 helicopter-based ice reconnaissance missions, 20 Arctic based emergencies requiring deployment/taskings of search and rescue assets.”

One of these responses included the August grounding of a commercial cruise vessel near Kugaaruk.

Last month, a standalone Arctic region was created for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

At the coast guard’s Iqaluit-based Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre, staff had supported 166 vessels as of Nov. 5.

“These vessels include Canadian Coast Guard ships, cargo ships, tankers, cruise ships, research vessels, bulk carriers, tugs, fishing vessels, pleasure crafts and adventurers,” the news release said.

That centre will be open until Dec. 21 and will reopen again in May 2019.

This year the Arctic season lasted five days longer than usual, thanks to funding from the federal government’s ongoing Ocean Protections Plan. That fund also saw an inshore rescue boat station open in Rankin Inlet. The seasonal rescue station is to be operated by trained Inuit post-secondary students.

In its first year, the station responded to three search and rescue calls.

“The crew spent over 103 hours on the water, and travelled 3,572 kilometres,” the news release said.

That community station closed for the winter on Sept. 4 and will open again in June 2019. Youth can still apply here, until Nov. 30, to be on the Rankin Inlet-based team next year.

This year the Canadian Coast Guard also led environmental response training in Iqaluit and hosted environmental technology students from the Nunavut Arctic College on board the CCGS Henry Larsen.