CANADA’S COMMERCIAL MARINE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 WESTERNMARINER.COM 55
Following last year’s difficulties in the Northwest
Passage, two expedition cruise ships, the brand-new roalD
amunDsen and l’austral have full cruises from Greenland
to Nome, followed by cruises from Nome to Vancouver,
with roalDamunDsen due in Vancouver September 27 and
l’austral the next day.
For cruise ships and other vessels, the main question
revolves around ice. Multi-year ice was flushed down
into Larsen Sound and Victoria Strait in 2018 effectively
plugging the central section of the Northwest Passage. A
question raised a number of times at the conference was
the status of ice in this area. The seasonal outlook jointly
published by the US and Canada indicated significant ice
in the area until near the end of August. However, this can
change dramatically during the season.
Ice variability and Arctic charting
Speaking on the topic of ice, John Parker of the Canadian
Ice Service noted that the annual variation of ice in the
Arctic is equivalent to approximately half the area of
Canada. His group produces daily ice charts on a regional
basis during the Arctic season. He commented on the vari-
ability, stressing that “it is regional.” Using 2018 as an ex-
ample, he said the Western Arctic had strong currents and
persistent winds which drove multiyear ice down, while
not affecting the Eastern Arctic. His presentation included
multi-year trends, but an ice-free Arctic was only likely in
the month of September by 2050 to 2070.
George Schlagintweit of the Canadian Hydrographic
Service gave a detailed look at charting in the Arctic. He
explained that the scientific icebreaker amunDsen has had
a multi-beam sonar installation since 2003. Stressing the
importance of this, he said, “Bathymetric data from CCGS
amunDsen represents more than 50 percent of all of CHS’
modern hydrography in the Arctic,” adding that data from
this “has been incorporated on 83 charts to date.”
He said this success “established a blueprint for the rest
of the icebreaking fleet.” Multi-beam sonar installations
have been added to sirwilfriDlaurier for coverage in the
shallow Western Arctic and to three East Coast-based ice-
breakers. Two more will be added by 2020.
Overall funding for improving Arctic charts is coming
from the Oceans Protection Plan; however, it can be ex-
pensive. Schlagintweit provided an example: a two-year,
$5.8 million OPP-funded program charting corridors in
Quebec’s Ungava Bay (not the whole bay) to modern stan-
dards. An additional $1.7 million planned to expand the
corridors in 2019.
The list of topics covered by the Nautical Institute con-
ference was very broad – sovereignty, cruise ships, the
Polar Code, US and Canadian Coast Guards, the RCN’s
new ships, simulators and ice pilots. However, the confer-
ence was soon overshadowed by the opening of the Arctic
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