Vanguard Magazine

Arctic of the 38 APRIL/MAY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com sHipteCH FoRum By maRCello sukHDeo Coast Guard Programs and Challenges The conference, which is held during the first quarter of each year, featured keynote speaker Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). Pel- letier joined the CCG in 1989 as an en- gineer officer in the Quebec Region. He began working at headquarters almost a decade later and held several positions with increasing responsibilities including Director General, Fleet, Assistant Com- missioner, Central and Arctic Region, and the Deputy Commissioner of Operations. In December 2019, he was appointed to his current position as the Commissioner of CCG. During his keynote presentation, Com- missioner Pelletier focused on the current programs and strategies that the CCG is employing to maximize efficiency and preparedness to operate in the Arctic and maritime regions. He also shared the trends and challenges of Arctic operations and activities. Given the significant decline of ice coverage in the Arctic, the Commis- sioner explained that this has created some difficulties and unpredictable situations to deal with. He said that shipping activities must keep abreast with this new reality and that the CCG is adjusting its fleet to meet the new demands in the region. A growing trend is the increase of cruise ships in the Arctic region. "This is partially due to the reduction of ice in the region and the appeal of the Arctic for travelers," said Pelletier. There is also a growing num- VanguarD hosted its seventh annual shiptech Forum on February 25 in ottawa. about 200 members From the canadian coast Guard, the royal canadian navy, industry, and other Government departments participated in the one-day conFerence discussinG key challenGes, solutions, and best practices For the arctic. meetIng the Challenges ber of adventurers visiting the Arctic, some are not well-equipped for the harsh ice con- ditions, which is posing a challenge for the Coast Guard. During the 2019 navigational season, 191 vessels (cargo ships, cruise ships, re- search vessels, bulk carriers, fishing vessels, pleasure crafts, and coast guard ships) com- pleted 430 voyages in Canadian Arctic wa- ters, a slight increase from previous years, with 27 vessels making full transits through the Northwest Passage. The CCG operates a fleet of seven ice- breakers in the Arctic from June to Novem- ber each year. "Our fleet is aging but to be able to deliver on our core service mandate we need to adapt and keep up with the de- mand," he said. The Commissioner point- ed out that progress is being made with the announcement last August by the Govern- ment of Canada to provide the CCG with six new icebreakers. There is also a fleet re- newal plan for the construction of up to 18 new large ships for the CCG, which was an- nounced in May 2019. This will include up to 16 new multi-purpose vessels to support light icebreaking, environmental response, and offshore search and rescue and two arctic and offshore patrol ships. In the meantime, work is continuing on to extend the life of vessels for the CCG to enable them to meet their mandate. Due to distance, weather, and limited infrastructure in the Arctic, the CCG faces several challenges in the region. Over 25 per cent of the global Arctic region is un- der Canada's control, which poses a great challenge for search and rescue operations. To help meet these challenges, the Coast Guard has 19 community-based auxiliary units across the Arctic with the aim to add three more this year. These units respond to about 20 to 25 per cent of the search and rescue activities each year in Cana- da. The CCG is also engaging 22 Arctic communities to grow the importance of Indigenous coastal communities and ma- rine emergency response activities. Other ongoing programs include engaging with partners to ensure operational readiness, spillage, procuring equipment for recov- ery of oil and ice.

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