Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 15/99) - A major Eastern Arctic sealift company reports 1999 has been its best year so far.

Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping (NEAS) transported about 64,000 cubic metres of goods to Baffin, Kivalliq and Nunavik regions, said NEAS vice-president Suzanne Paquin.

The company's biggest customers are Nunavut Construction Corp. and the Northern Stores. Despite these high-volume customers, there are many individual orders done through the sealift. Of one 12,000 cubic metre shipment to Iqaluit, 800 cubic metres were goods and supplies for 125 individual customers.

NEAS put out its first schedule in March and received its first bookings in April. Vessels sailed at the end of June. The company's first ship to arrive in Iqaluit was the MV Aivik, which pulled in June 2. It was the second supply ship to arrive in the capital but the first off-loaded.

That trip included 11,000 cubic metres of goods, exclusively for Iqaluit.

"It was all for Iqaluit. That was a first," Paquin said. She added the cargo was primarily construction materials.

As well as the MV Aivik, NEAS ships goods to arctic communities aboard the MV Lucien-Paquin.

The Lucien-Paquin's first voyage took 16,500 cubic metres of goods to various High Arctic destinations.

Other voyages included:

- MV Aivik shipping 13,000 cubic metres to Foxe Basin and Baffin communities.

- MV Aivik shipping 12,000 cubic metres to Iqaluit and south Baffin.

- MV Lucien-Paquin shipping 12,000 cubic metres of cargo to Iqaluit and Pangnirtung.

Cargo values are measured in the millions of dollars per vessel.

"The MV Lucien-Paquin just left Pangnirtung Monday and is headed back to Montreal," Paquin said.

For the 1999 sealift, the company shipped to Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Repulse Bay, Pangnirtung, Cape Dorset, Pond Inlet, Coral Harbour, Arctic Bay, Polaris, Iglulik, Hall Beach, Broughton Island and Clyde River.

Those were communities that made sealift requests, and that means the company is looking to gain other communities as customers, added Paquin.

In 1999, NEAS upped its sealift volume by about 28,000 cubic metres.

"Construction has increased. There is no doubt," Paquin said.

As for the Iqaluit sealift, Paquin said customers have moved away from loyalty to a shipper and are looking for which ship will be next to come in, regardless of owner.

"Everybody is in a rush in Iqaluit."

Paquin added that one group of customers was virtually non-existent for the 1999 sealift -- exploration companies. As commodity prices wind down, mining companies opted to wait at least another year before actively exploring for resources.

NEAS is owned by Nunavut Umiaq Corp. and Transport Nanuk. Transport Nanuk is equally-owned by shipper Logistec Corp. and The North West Company which owns the Northern Stores, a main arctic retailer.

The MV Aivik and MV Lucien-Paquin are owned by Transport Nanuk.