Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 03/99) - Northern Transportation Company Ltd., Canada's only pan-arctic marine operator, plans to expand operations in the Eastern Arctic, Lynette Storoz, the company's director of marketing and traffic said.

Under the move, dry cargo services will be offered in the Baffin region.

NTCL, under a contract with the Nunavut government, currently supplies fuel to the Baffin.

As well, NTCL supplies fuel and dry cargo to the Keewatin region. The company supplies the Keewatin with fuel shipped on board NTCL-owned barges from the Port of Churchill in Manitoba.

Adding dry cargo services to the Baffin is a "logical progression in our group," Storoz said.

"This is an opportune time to expand. Our shareholders have asked us to expand our services in Nunavut."

Initially, the service will go to Iqaluit with plans to go to other Baffin communities in future.

Dry cargo includes building materials, food and vehicles.

NTCL is looking at charter companies to move the dry cargo, but as of late April no contracts have been signed.

In the coming weeks, a company sales team will be attempting to secure cargo deals, Storoz said.

NTCL is 100-per-cent aboriginal-owned. The company's shareholders are Nunasi Corp., a Nunavut-wide economic development corporation, and Inuvialuit Development Corp., the economic development arm of the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic.