Shipping industry leaders call for bolstered security, mapping of Arctic water
Managers at Desgagnés, NEAS among leaders calling for federal government to take action
A sealift ship and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel are seen in this file photo. (File photo courtesy of Department of Fisheries and Oceans)
Shipping industry leaders are calling for the federal government to take action on what they say are security and environmental issues in Arctic waters.
Three of them — David Rivest, president and general manager of Desgagnés Transarctik Inc.; Daniel Dagenais, president and CEO of NEAS; and Saul Polo, general manager of St. Lawrence Shipoperators — are joining forces to speak on ways climate change and increased ship traffic may impact safety in the region, including around the Northwest Passage.
There’s “a real nice potential” in terms of an Arctic shipping corridor developing, Rivest said in a videoconference interview.
“But we need resources to support that corridor moving forward to ensure that it’s safe,” he added. “We need more icebreaker capability, we need first responders’ capabilities with regards to assistance with small crafts, and it can extend all the way to a spill response.”
On the environmental side, shippers need a “road map” of Arctic waters, Rivest said, meaning a better understanding of the depths of waters.
He said there needs to be better ice and weather monitoring so that shippers can predict and plan their Arctic treks.
“So those are the type of elements that we’re advocating as an industry to ensure that there’s a safe corridor that’s built there for the next 20 years down the road, seeing that there’s a potential for increased traffic,” he said.
“And ultimately, this will help us — as Canadian flag carriers — resupply communities more efficiently, be able to service the resource sector, and hopefully render [safer] transit traffic.”
Last week, Rivest and Polo brought their concerns to Ottawa. They met with representatives from several federal departments, including the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, and Public Services and Procurement Canada.
“We dialogue with those on [Parliament Hill], which are perhaps a little bit further away from the day-to-day reality of the Arctic, to try to educate them in terms of what are our needs, what are the needs for supporting the communities and helping them thrive,” Rivest said.
Those conversations have been going well, Rivest and Polo said.
However, the two are calling for other government support in the North such as more housing, as well as improvements to marine infrastructure in the south.
“Our mission as Arctic sealift operators is to resupply in the North and ensure that the communities and the resource sector can thrive,” Rivest said.
Are these the guys that are still charging us for “Barge insurance” instead of using the deep sea port? OK, let’s give all of our infrastructure money to Quebec. We can trust them to provide for Nunavut.