Cruise ship gets Dehcho escort on Northwest Passage trip
Deal between Dehcho Regional Helicopters puts two Eurocopters on cruise
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, August 25, 2016
DEH CHO
As the luxury cruise ship Crystal Serenity embarks on a 32-day voyage along the Northwest Passage, seven First Nations from the Deh Cho already have a stake in the journey.
A partnership between Great Slave Helicopters and Dehcho Regional Helicopters has put a helicopter from the Deh Cho on the cruise ship Crystal Serenity. - photo courtesy of Great Slave Helicopters
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Two Eurocopter AS350 B2 helicopters will be on board the cruise ship, courtesy of Dehcho Regional Helicopters.
The company was awarded a contract with Crystal Cruises to supply the helicopters for the ship's maiden voyage, along with three crew members - two pilots and an engineer - who will be aboard the SS Shackleton, a small ship that will travel with the Crystal Serenity. Both the crew and the helicopters will be on board the ship for three weeks.
One of the helicopters is entirely owned by Dehcho Regional Helicopters under the callsign DCV.
While on board the cruise ship, the helicopters and crew will be responsible for supplying tours to communities from the ship, as well as provide a medevac service and ice surveillance.
"It is exciting to have our helicopter be part of such a remarkable voyage on the legendary Northwest Passage," said Dehcho Regional Helicopters president Gladys Norwegian.
She added the helicopters have just come away from a summer of fighting fires in the Northwest Territories.
"Beneficiaries of all the seven partners of Dehcho Regional Helicopters should feel proud their helicopters just finished a successful summer providing fire suppression and support services to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and now in the Arctic playing a role in this historic journey," she said.
The helicopters, through Dehcho Regional Helicopters, are owned by seven partners, including Acho Dene Koe First Nation, Nahanni Butte Dene Band, Sambaa K'e Dene Band, Jean Marie River First Nation, Liidlii Kue First Nation, Pehdzeh Ki First Nation and Fort Simpson Metis Nation.
Norwegian said all the First Nations involved will benefit from the contract.
Dehcho Regional Helicopters is entirely aboriginal-owned. All its flight operations are conducted by Great Slave Helicopters, a subsidiary of Discovery Air. Great Slave Helicopters and Dehcho Regional Helicopters have worked in partnership together since 2004.
Alasdair Martin, president of Great Slave Helicopters, stated in an e-mail that his company is "honoured" to have a part to play in the voyage of the Crystal Serenity.
"With our partners in the Dehcho Region, we're part of a historic event and one that will be talked about for years to come," he stated.
"It's a mark of how productive our Dehcho partnership has been that we can use a 100 per cent aboriginal-owned aircraft to escort the Crystal Serenity as it paves the way for those that will follow."
The Crystal Serenity was expected to embark on Aug. 15. The cruise ship will carry 1,070 passengers and around 650 crew members.
