(PHOTO COURTESY OF
U.S. COAST GUARD)
July 28, 2000
JANE GEORGE and ELINA BROBECK
Nunatsiaq News
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IQALUIT — Earlier this week, when the U.S. coast guard icebreaker Healy finally sailed past Cambridge Bay, the commanding officers of the U.S. and Canadian coast guards were to have boarded the high-tech research vessel in symbolic gesture that Canada and the U.S. intend to keep the peace in the Northwest Passge.
According to the Canadian Coast Guard Commissioner, John Adams, the Healy’s trip through the Northwest Passage provided an "opportunity to once again work in cooperation with our American counterpart."
"The U.S. and Canada share a common interest in protecting the earth’s polar regions," says Admiral James Loy, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.
But the two countries also find the Northwest Passage equally attractive, and this could eventually create problems.
The Canadian government’s longstanding position is that the Northwest Passage is an internal Canadian waterway, subject to Canadian law, especially Canadian environmental laws.
The U.S. government’s position, on the other hand, is that the Northwest Passage is an international waterway.
But under a diplomatic agreement between the two countries that was reached in 1988, the U.S. government has agreed to seek Canada’s "permission" before sending vessels through the Northwest Passage.
However, if the polar sea ice thins out or disappears, this shipping route through Nunavut’s High Arctic islands may become a subject of international controversy.
If the now-difficult route becomes easier to travel, it could mean big savings for shipping companies and military transports. The sea route through the Northwest Passage is approximately 5,000 nautical miles shorter than through the Panama Canal, which has been, up until now, the only reliable path for ships carrying cargo goods or passengers.
Twice in recent decades, the U.S. has sent ships through the Northwest Passage without requesting permission from the Canadian government, once in 1969, and again in 1985.
Despite the 1988 agreement, the U.S. continues to contest Canada’s claim to the Northwest Passage, saying it’s an international waterway that Canada has no right to control.
For its part, Canada has had trouble controlling the Northwest Passage due to the low number of communities in the High Arctic, the lack of military presence, and the lack of a national Arctic policy.
"Canada’s sovereignty over the Canadian Archipelago and the Arctic Ocean within the 200-miles boundary has been repeatedly challenged," says a recent scientic document.
"The removal in 1999 of elements of the petrified forest on Axel Heiberg Island by a U.S. team of paleontologists is the most recent example illustrating the shortcomings in Canada’s control and stewardship of her Arctic territory. Arguably, the new geopolitical situation brought about by the freeing of the Arctic Ocean could renew assaults on this sovereignty."
The U.S. government did, however, receive permission from Canada to send the Healy through waters around Nunavut on its recent mission, which is intended to test the new vessel.
The Healy left New Orleans on Jan. 26 this year and then sailed to the Caribbean.
The Healy’s crew then headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, north to Iceland, and then over to Baffin Island.
In May, the Healy’s team conducted trials of her icebreaking capabilities off Baffin, and tried out equipment for seabed mapping, depth sounding, and testing on the water’s temperature and sallinity.
During this leg of the trip, the Healy picked up James Qillaq from Clyde River and Stevie Audlakiak from Broughton Island for the icebreaking trials. The two were on board to make sure these trials didn’t upset spring hunting or disturb wildlife.
The two national coast guards had already consulted with these communities to coordinate the trip’s planning and select the best testing locations for icebreaking.
"Although we had Inuit guides aboard for the testing near Home Bay, we did not need to enter the fast ice, and thus did not have any contact with hunting or local activity," said Capt. Jeffrey Garrett of the Healy.
Sent back to Ireland in June to wait out poor ice conditions in the passage, the Healy headed back across the North Atlantic a couple of weeks later, stopping at Greenland before chugging through Lancaster Sound over to Victoria Island.
A huge boat, the Healy is designed to carry a team of 50 scientists, in addition to a crew of 75. The 450-foot ship has six laboratories, winches, sonar systems and many other specialized science systems. The icebreaker also has a helicopter deck with two helicopters, as well as four boats for use in various operations.
It was named after Micheal A. Healy, a noted U.S. coast guard commander who travelled between San Francisco and Point Barrow in the late 1800s.
The vessel named in his honour is built to plow through five feet of ice at a speed of three knots, and can still move through up to eight feet of ice by ramming.
It’s intended to be a floating platform for future scientific research. To better know how scientists may use the ship to study the atmosphere and sea bed from on board, this year’s mission was to test the Healy’s ability to go through thick ice floes and ridges.
"Icebreaking performance was thoroughly tested over a seven-week period in the large floes south of Cape Dyer and east of Home Bay," Capt. Garret said. "The trials were very successful in that Healy’s actual icebreaking performance exceeded designed capabilities."
You can find more http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/healy