Shipping company charged after tanker reported in Nunavut wildlife area
Transport Desgagnés Inc. faces 4 charges under federal Wildlife Act
The chemical/oil tanker Sarah Desgagnés sits anchored outside Salluit in 2015 in this file photo. (File photo by Paulusie Saviadjuk)
Transport Desgagnés Inc., one of the major shipping companies serving Nunavut, is facing four charges under the federal Wildlife Act after one of its chemical/oil tankers was allegedly spotted in protected waters off the coast of Baffin Island.
Federal wildlife officers received a report on Oct. 1, 2024, that the tanker Sarah Desgagnés had entered Akpait National Wildlife Area, said Environment Canada spokesperson Samuel Lafontaine in an email. The federal agency laid the charges May 16, following an investigation.
Transport Desgagnés is charged with operating a conveyance in the protected area on Sept. 29, 2024, and Oct. 6, 2024.
The Akpait National Wildlife Area, located approximately 130 kilometres south of Qikiqtarjuaq, is a feeding ground for thick-billed murres and other seabirds. It’s one of the “most important” seabird areas of the eastern Arctic, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The Sarah Desgagnés is an 18,000-ton, 147-metre-long double-hull oil and chemical tanker registered in Quebec. It was built in Turkey in 2007.
Transport Desgagnés manages a number of marine transport operations, including sealift services to Nunavut and Nunavik.
The company, based in Quebec City, is taking the matter “very seriously” and doing a full internal review of the situation, said Julie Lambert, president of Petronav, the liquid bulk division of Groupe Desgagnés.
She declined to comment on the ship’s itinerary on the days it was alleged to have been in the Akpait wildlife area or any other details related to the investigation or legal proceedings.
Transport Desgagnés had its first appearance in Iqaluit court on July 21 to face the charges. Its next court appearance is on Aug. 25.
In October 2015, the Sarah Desgagnés spilled an estimated 3,000 litres of diesel fuel into the water outside Salluit during a fuel delivery to the community. The company worked with the Canadian Coast Guard and Quebec’s Ministry of Environment to clean up the spill.
What a brilliantly situated wildlife area.
There’s probably more to the story, but if the idea is that no ship may enter the wildlife area, then it could well affect every single ship coming back from Qikiqtarjuaq, Clyde River, the high Arctic and the Kitikmeot.
If all of those ships are impacted as I suspect, that’s going to have a small but real impact on costs and sealift schedules.
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/locations/akpait.html#toc2
There is plenty of room for ship traffic to transit around this site, you are being silly.
Wonder when the shipping company that dumped sealift containers into Iqaluit waters where they still sit, is going to be charged.
Nice work on keeping commercial traffic away from protected areas.
Oh the irony!
The greatest danger to birds like Thick Billed Murres is Climate Change that reduces sea ice cover, reducing the food available in and around their colonies.
This tanker was transporting fossil fuels to a Nunavut community on behalf of the Government, because we have not committed to using alternative means of generating power besides burning fuel, and adding to Climate Change.
Somehow, I do not think charging this company for taking a shortcut through this area (perhaps to save fuel?) is really going to do anything to improve prospects for these Arctic seabirds.
The government should focus on eliminating the need for so many of these tankers in the first place. I do not think we are doing seabirds any favors by ensuring they get to starve in peace and quiet.
Incidents like the tanker case in Nunavut serve as a strong reminder of the need for environmentally responsible shipping practices. As India continues to enhance its logistics infrastructure—with key developments like the Vizhinjam port—there’s a growing global push for more sustainable and well-regulated freight movement. At SFLWorldwide, we prioritize eco-compliant logistics solutions that align with global standards, helping businesses ship responsibly while supporting international trade in harmony with nature.
Careful now, there are a lot of non Nunavummiut on here that think it’s a free for all here in Nunavut, like it’s a frontier place.