Sought by explorers for centuries as a possible trade route, The Northwest Passage was first navigated by Roald Amundsen in 1903–1906. The Arctic pack ice prevents regular marine shipping throughout the year, but climate change is reducing the pack ice, and this Arctic shrinkage may eventually make the waterways more navigable.
Well... from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:
The Canadian Coast Guard has confirmed that in a major first, a commercial ship travelled through the Northwest Passage this fall to deliver supplies to communities in western Nunavut.
The MV Camilla Desgagnés, owned by Desgagnés Transarctik Inc., transported cargo from Montreal to the hamlets of Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak in September.
Just where is Kugluktuk, Nunavut, Canada?
Play with the zoom features to see just how close they came to going all the way across the Artic to Alaska in the west from the Atlantic in the east.
How bad was the ice cover they encountered along the way?
Desgagnés Transarctik used the MV Camilla Desgagnés because it is a super ice-class vessel, said Waguih Rayes, the general manager of the company's Arctic division.
Rayes, who was on the vessel during its trip through the Northwest Passage, said the company informed the coast guard, which put an icebreaker on standby.
"They were ready to be there for us if we called them, but I didn't see one cube of ice," he said.
"They were informed about our presence [and] they were ready to give us the support needed. However, since there was no ice whatsoever, the service was not needed, we didn't call for it."
Congratulations to Mr. Rayes and his team for this courageous accomplishment, but will it be a sign of things to come? You betcha!
Rayes said he's proud to know his company, which is a managing partner of Nunavut Sealink and Supply, is the first to deliver sealift cargo through the fabled Arctic waterway.
He added that the company plans to transport cargo through the Northwest Passage again next fall.
How long will it be before regular shipping routes are open across the Arctic year round?