Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 08/03) - A Canadian Coast Guard vessel is helping science gather information on life in the Arctic Ocean and mapping the sea floor.

The CCGS Nahidik set sail Sunday morning from Inuvik, carrying a team of biologists and map-makers who will use their data to work with industry and environmental groups.

Adriaan Kooiman, the ship's captain, said the vessel will sail into the Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea as part of a joint initiative with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard.

"We have a lot of different programs on board," Kooiman said.

"Biologists, geologists and hydrographers who will create the charts."

"The biologists will be looking at the bugs that live on the bottom, taking fish and checking them for size and age," he said.

The ship was here two years ago doing some mapping of the river bottom and ocean floor.

"We've been here the last few years just on a hydrographic mission -- that's to get better charts of the area," he said.

"Mapping the bottom, making navigational charts and looking for the effects of ice on the sea bottom."

This voyage will follow up on some previous discoveries as well as investigating some new ones.

"A Japanese consortium found a mud volcano on the bottom of the Beaufort, so we're going to investigate that to find out what it's all about," Kooiman said.

"It's like an underwater pingo, but it's mud."

The crew will gather core samples from the bottom in clear plastic tubes and to evaluate the make up of the river and ocean floor as well.

The 50-metre ship was built 30 years ago in Vancouver for the Northern Transportation Company Ltd., but has been rebuilt for the coast guard.

The bridge has been outfitted to accommodate the scientific crew aboard, with a network of eight full-size computers and laptops, along with the vast network of navigation and communication gear already aboard.

"This bridge is pretty-much Toys 'R Us for a navigator -- we have everything," Kooiman said.

There are two radars, five echo sounders, a Global Maritime Distress and Signalling system, which allows communication over HF, VHF radio, satellite or telex over radio. As well, the ship has two satellite phones.

Classed as an ocean-going river tender, the vessel has the ability to travel in very shallow water, but still be able to travel in the ocean.

"We have the shallow draft to work in the river," he said. "Right now we have a draft of about five feet, two inches."

The ship is staffed by six officers and six crew members.

The Nahidik carries two launch boats, a multi-beam survey vessel and a single beam survey vessel.

The captain doesn't pretend to understand most of the work that will go on aboard his ship; he just takes the scientists to where they need to go.

"We concentrate on getting the ship from A to B safely and allow the rest of the personnel to do their work," he said.

The ship will travel north from Tuktoyaktuk until they hit ice, which has been blowing in quite close to shore this summer.

The voyage is expected to last five weeks.

Last year the Nahidik over-wintered in Hay River, where it under went an inspection, but this year, she'll stay in Tuktoyaktuk.

The program will resume again next summer and again the following year.