Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping Reports on Successful 2009 Arctic Sealift Season

“Once again, NEAS reliably delivered the goods for our customers,” said David Ell, NEAS Director of Marketing.

Over the 2009 Arctic sealift season, NEAS offered a total of nine sailings with four vessels providing essential resupply services for 46 communities across Canada's Arctic making 76 stops, including three stops in Iqaluit, Nunavut's capital, and four stops in Kuujjuaq, the administrative centre for the Nunavik region in northern Québec.

This season, NEAS also successfully completed the first commercial navigation in history of the Canadian Northwest Passage by an Inuit-owned Canadian-flagged ice class 1 vessel. In the process, western Arctic customers in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, including Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak, benefitted from NEAS’ reduced rates and better sealift services. NEAS customers in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, including Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, Arviat, Whale Cove, Coral Harbour and Baker Lake, also benefitted from the choice of a new NEAS “thru-rate” service from Winnipeg.

“Our mission at NEAS is to deliver for our customers the best and most reliable sealift services possible,” said Mr. Ell. On the bad weather and ice conditions, and the “M/V Avataq's” last sailing, Mr. Ell added: “NEAS makes every effort to deliver the goods, and we confirmed that again this year on the “M/V Avataq's” last voyage. We stopped at nothing to service our customers in the communities of Repulse Bay, Hall Beach and Igloolik. We delivered.”

“The 2009 sealift season made obvious the immediate need for basic marine infrastructure, including “kid safe” and secure marine work staging areas in the communities, and safe anchorage for vessels at sea,” said Suzanne Paquin, NEAS President and CEO. “here are infrastructure solutions available and there is funding. We look to work with all stakeholders, including the local communities, in making safety the number one priority in guiding immediate marine infrastructure development.”

About NEAS
NEAS is a pioneer and industry leader in the provision of reliable sealift and related transportation services across Canada's Arctic. NEAS is an Inuit majority owned venture with shareholders including the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, Sakku Investments Corporation, Makivik Corporation and Transport Nanuk Inc. NEAS provides marshalling and packaging services and its vessels deliver a variety of goods including construction materials, vehicles, heavy equipment, house wares and non-perishable items to local communities.

For more information on NEAS or to learn more about how our people can reliably deliver better and more cost effective sealift services for you, your business, community or government department or agency, visit us online at www.NEAS.ca or give us at 1-877-225-NEAS (6327).