Abstract
The annual sealift of cargo to the Canadian Arctic has long been an essential part of the livelihood of Inuit communities. Over the past two decades, many structural changes were brought to this service and the demand has grown substantially. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of these changes by analysing demand and supply for Eastern Canadian Arctic sealift services. This analysis is based on Canadian Coast Guard vessel movement data and Statistics Canada port traffic data. It reveals that between 1987 and 2010, continuous and extreme variations in demand made it quite difficult for ship operators to adjust carrying capacity and optimise productivity. Yet, the recent industrial and population growth in the region has enabled them to reach significant gains in fleet utilisation levels.
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to acknowledge the judicious comments of anonymous reviewers.
Notes
1. Note that with the exception of Churchill, Deception Bay, Nanisivik and Pangnirtung, there is no basic port/docking infrastructure in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. General cargo is transshipped from vessels to barges which are towed to beaches for unloading. Petroleum products are unloaded through floating pipelines.
2. According to the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics, the population of Nunavut was a little over 33 300 individuals in January 2011.