Canada Delays Opening of Crucial Arctic Naval Port Until 2018

By Mike De Souza

OTTAWA, March 2 (Reuters) – Canada’s army has once more delayed the opening of a significant new Arctic port, an indication the federal government is struggling to claim sovereignty over a distant resource-rich area.

The deliberate deep water naval facility at Nanisivik – some 3,100 km (1,900 miles) north of Ottawa – is among the key parts of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s “use it or lose it” method to the Arctic. The port, initially on account of open in 2012, will not be operational till 2018.

Nanisivik lies on the entrance to the Northwest Passage, which might grow to be a shortcut for transport between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as international warming regularly opens up ice-clogged waterways.

Canada claims sovereignty over the passage and the port at Nanisivik would assist to keep up a presence within the area. The United States disputes Canada’s declare, saying the passage lies in worldwide waters.

Ottawa stated in 2007 the port could be open in 2012. In August 2013, it delayed the opening to 2017 and scaled again the ability to keep away from price overruns.

The protection ministry blamed the brand new delay on efforts to decontaminate land at Nanisivik, the location of a now-closed lead and zinc mine.

“The target date was adjusted to 2018 after (we) completed initial site investigations … to ensure all requirements of the facility could be met,” stated spokeswoman Dominique Tessier.

Nanisivik was initially designed to incorporate a everlasting workplace however will function as a four-month summer time refueling and docking station.

The delay is one other problem for Canada’s plans to stamp a footprint on the Arctic. Ahead of the 2006 election that introduced the Conservatives to energy, they promised to construct three armed ice-breakers for the area.

In 2007, Ottawa stated as an alternative it will construct six to eight patrol ships that might function in average ice situations. In January this yr, it diluted that dedication, promising 5 or 6 vessels.

The delays and cutbacks come at a time when the armed forces might nicely be requested to do extra within the Arctic.

“The (military) recognizes that the implications of climate change may extend to security and defense activities, namely in the Arctic,” stated a memo ready final August for the Canadian army’s prime bureaucrat. Reuters obtained the doc by entry to info laws.

The memo additionally stated the army lacked info on what impression local weather change would have on Arctic operations. (Reporting By Mike De Souza; Editing by Bernard Orr)