Arctic Gateway Group (AGG) has partnered with Canadian shipping company Fednav to examine the operational requirements that would be necessary to support year-round shipping from the Port of Churchill. The work for this review is underway and is expected to be completed this summer.

Fednav’s work with AGG will focus on understanding the practical operational considerations of navigating ice-covered waters in Hudson Bay. This work is intended to inform Arctic Gateway’s long-term business planning, and does not pre-empt environmental assessments, regulatory processes, or Indigenous decision-making. The work will examine known ice conditions, patterns, extended shipping seasons, and the efforts and investments required.

Any future consideration of year-round shipping or icebreaking would require extensive engagement with Indigenous partners, northern communities, governments, and environmental stakeholders.

“As we continue to grow AGG’s business at the Port of Churchill, we need to understand what would be required to support year-round shipping from an operational standpoint,” said Chris Avery, President & CEO, Arctic Gateway Group. “This is about business planning, and it’s one piece of a broader set of work being advanced in Hudson Bay. We’re doing this with full recognition that all future paths involve extensive consultation, regulatory review, and alignment with Indigenous partners, communities, governments, and industry.”

The expansion of trade corridors and investments in Western Hudson Bay is currently the subject of extensive, multi-party research and planning. This includes work led by the Arctic Research Foundation in collaboration with provincial and federal partners examining shipping routes, environmental considerations, marine conservation, and governance, as well as a feasibility initiative exploring a potential national marine conservation area led by Parks Canada.

AGG’s work with Fednav is complementary to these broader initiatives. It is focused on understanding what the Port of Churchill would require from an operational perspective, informed by a commercial shipping company that is actively involved in year-round operations in the Canadian Arctic. An executive summary will also be available to research organizations and government partners to help inform the wider body of work underway in Hudson Bay.

“Supporting shipping in this region requires a clear understanding of ice conditions and patterns to identify operational capabilities,” said Isabelle Brassard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Fednav. “This work applies Fednav’s Arctic experience to help identify what would be required to safely support year-round shipping from the Port of Churchill.”

Fednav will draw on decades of Arctic operating experience, including Arctic-certified captains and in-house ice specialists, to assess historical ice conditions, navigation constraints, and operational requirements specific to Hudson Bay and the marine approaches to Churchill.

Arctic Gateway Group remains committed to transparency and ongoing dialogue and will continue to engage with Indigenous partners, northern communities and businesses, governments, and organizations involved in Hudson Bay research and conservation.
Source: Arctic Gateway Group