The Canadian Coast Guard has wrapped up its 2024 Arctic season with seven icebreakers deployed to the North this year.
The vessels took on tasks from community resupply and icebreaking to search and rescue and environmental response.
The first vessel, the CCGS Amundsen, left Quebec City on June 14. The last, the CCGS Des Groseilliers, returned to southern waters on December 8.
Recent season’s operational challenges
This year, the Coast Guard faced challenges with low water levels in parts of the Arctic, the agency said in a news release.
Buoys help guide ships safely through waterways in the North, indicating hazards, or specific routes that can be safely navigated, but with the lower water, some areas became harder to reach.
As a result, buoy tending was limited to specific areas along the Mackenzie River system. The CCGS Dumit covered the stretch between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, while the CCGS Eckaloo worked around Great Slave Lake, the Coast Guard said.
Quick Facts: Arctic Season 2024
- 39 commercial escorts
- 49 helo-based ice reconnaissance missions
- Iqaluit centre closed Dec. 10, 2024
- Reopening of Iqaluit centre in May 2025
Search and rescue
A big part of the Coast Guard’s work every year is search and rescue. In 2024, the Arctic Marine Response Station in Rankin Inlet, NU, responded to eight search and rescue incidents, covering over 700 nautical miles of coastline.
The station, run by an all-Indigenous crew, also took part in training exercises to respond to future emergencies.
The agency also continued its workshops with Indigenous groups and local governments to talk about marine safety, environmental protection, and how to respond if there’s a marine spill, the Coast Guard said.
International Collaboration
The Coast Guard also kept up its international partnerships this season, it said.
In August, it took part in Operation NANOOK, a joint exercise with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and Royal Danish Navy.
The exercise, held off Resolute Bay, in Nunavut focused on testing how well the teams could work together in an emergency in Arctic waters, and helping improve coordination between the countries.
Looking Ahead
The Coast Guard maintains a year-round presence in the North through regional offices in Yellowknife, Hay River, and Iqaluit,
Its Arctic operations will restart in May 2025.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Crew member in ‘critical but stable’ condition after Iqaluit barge accident on Friday, CBC News
Russia: Major disaster averted in icy Kara Sea after two oil barges ran aground, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for crew of capsized fishing boat in Gulf of Alaska, The Associated Press
