Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Nov 23/98) - While the Titanic was sinking over and over again on the screen this past summer, her heartier sisters successfully carted thousands of tonnes of cargo into the Arctic.

Take the M.V. Aivik, for example. Operated by Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping, the high performance ice-class vessel sailed the 1,700 nautical miles from Montreal to Iqaluit three times this season and carried a total of 19,000 cubic metres or 5,428 metric tonnes of freight.

For those inclined to think of weight on a more familiar scale, that translates into about 5,428,000 kilograms of cargo.

"In Iqaluit, it was very busy. The volume was a lot larger than last year," said Suzanne Paquin, the vice-president of the Iqaluit-based shipping company.

In that position since the company was formed by the Qikiqtaaluk Corp., Sakku Investments Corp. and Transport Nanuk earlier this year, Paquin said that about 33 per cent of their total freight was made up of construction materials.

"We travelled wherever Nunavut Construction Corp. had a project and we have a lot of other clients who are very loyal to us," said Paquin.

The remainder of the cartage, 12,500 cubic metres, was made up of "everything that's not oil. We had general merchandise for the stores, a lot of pop, cars and trucks."

Fourty-six new vehicles to be exact, although their biggest competitors, Nunavut Ocean Transport, doubled that vehicle count by braving the six-day North Atlantic journey and bringing in a whopping 91 automobiles, including the town's shiny red firetruck.

"It's a growing town alright," said John Perry, a traffic officer for the Canadian Coast Guard Arctic Sealift -- the organization that awarded a three-year government resupply contract to Nunavut Ocean Transport this spring.

Using three different ships, the Lady Franklin, the Arctic Viking and the Placentia Sound, all co-owned by partners A.Crosbie Shipping and Auyuittuq Investment Corp., Nunavut Ocean Transport brought in 30,358 cubic metres (8,600 tonnes) of freight.

"We had 11 sailings into Iqaluit this year, versus the normal three or four. Most of it was construction material, at least 70 per cent," said Perry.

Jomanic-Can Inc., one of Iqaluit's privately-owned construction companies, also got in on the sealift action and chartered a tug and two barges to haul in building supplies. Not to be left behind, local fuel distributors, Uqsuq Corp. said it carted in a total of 45 million litres of petroleum products on three separate tankers during the 1998 season.

But why such a drastic increase in freight and should Iqaluit residents get used to seeing such a flurry of ship activity in their bay?

According to Perry, capital dwellers better get used to the idea because it's going to be a while before the ships stop sailing in.

"I would imagine that next year would be as busy. A hospital still has to be built and another school and NCC still hasn't finished their building. By the year 2000 though, it could quite possible drop back."