Free tradesmen rejoice at "potential" of global warming

Vancouver could benefit from melting Arctic: conference

Damian Inwood, CanWest News Service, Canada

Published: Monday, September 10, 2007

VANCOUVER -- Global warming means the Northwest Passage could become the new Panama Canal.

And that means vessels could start using the Canadian Arctic as a trade route as early as next year, Joseph Spears of Horseshoe Bay Marine Group told the Canada Maritime Conference Monday.

"It creates an awesome opportunity for Vancouver," Spears said later. "With melting ice, you're going to get a change in perception and, all of a sudden, vessels that were restricted by the Panama Canal will be able to transit the Northwest Passage."

That means larger ships could take a much shorter route from Vancouver to Northern Europe, Africa and parts of South America, he said, without going around Cape Horn.

And for ships that normally go through the Panama Canal, a Northwest Passage route could cut about 9,000 kilometres off the journey, he said.

"It may be a lot cheaper to ship something from Halifax to Vancouver by water and it's much cheaper than by rail," he added. "The Northwest Passage could very well become the new Panama Canal and Canada could fund some of its costs through charges. We need to start thinking about that."

Spears said apart from some expedition cruise ships, there is no regular service through the Northwest Passage.

"That's not to say that couldn't occur next year." he said. "With international shipping, it's a function of economic forces."

Spear told the conference that in 2000 there were periods where there was no ice on the Arctic route.

"It's now 2007 and the Arctic ice is rapidly melting," he said. "What you are seeing is that there's open water. You can go from Halifax to Vancouver ice-free."

He said the Arctic thaw has huge implications as 25% of the world's future oil reserves may exist in the far north.

Bill Drew, executive director of the Churchill Gateway Development Corp. told delegates that the shipping season for non-ice-class vessels grows each year and now runs from July 20 to Nov. 5.

He said that the captain of this year's first ship, which arrived on July 22, told him, "There's more ice in this glass than I saw coming in here last week."