Rankin Inlet (Dec 24/03) - Desgagnes Transarctik Inc. surpassed all projections during its first season of delivering dry cargo into the Kivalliq region on behalf of the Nunavut Sealift and Supply Co.

Transarctik general manager Waguih Rayes said the number of voyages, volume delivered and stops in some communities were all higher than anticipated.

Rayes said he still has to determine why the season's forecasts (compiled according to data from previous years) were eclipsed.

"In general, I feel there is more (demand) for the project than we had estimated," said Rayes.

"The last minute decision by Meadowbank to mobilize some equipment and supplies into Baker also inflated our numbers.

"The good news is, I can proudly say we met all the demand.

"However, we were very tight when it came to the availability of space for the last voyage."

Damage kept to minimum

Rayes said to date, feedback from Kivalliq customers has been positive.

He said the company is working hard to quickly address claims involving damaged cargo.

"Having some damaged cargo is inevitable, and, when it happens, people are unhappy.

"Having said that, when you look at it proportionately, the damage was very low compared to the volume.

"In fact, when you look at the statistics from previous years, our operations people did excellent work."

Rayes said the issue of insurance being purchased at the time of cargo bookings needs to be addressed.

He said Transarctik will ensure people are better informed as to the implications of not insuring their orders before the 2004 season.

"We also need to make things a bit more formal when releasing cargo at the high-water mark to local contractors.

"We need to adjust our system so that whenever damage occurs, it will be easy to identify where it happened.

"We want to keep good-working relations with local contractors at the final destinations, and that would be the purpose behind refining our work methods concerning the transfer of goods."

Record set in 2003

Between Nunavut and Nunavik, cargo volumes increased by about 20 per cent, reaching a record 145,000-cubic metres.

Rayes said customers were well informed of shipping costs, and he has not heard any complaints over bills being more than what people expected.

"The information on our Web site proved itself to be complete and successful.

"The fact that our methods of calculating price were explained so well reduced a lot of questioning at the end of the season."