Overwintering of Barges in the Beaufort - Assessing Ice Issues and Damage Potential

Overwintering of vessels and barges has been carried out in the Arctic for many years, in the Beaufort as well as in other regions of the Arctic and southern Canada. Draft guidelines from Transport Canada exist for this practice. However, there is uncertainty concerning the damage potential for structures that may be left to freeze-in within the landfast ice region of the Beaufort Sea, particularly those that contain petroleum products. This is a great concern for the Inuvialuit, among others. There is evidence that this freeze-in could be (and has been) done safely but it is not clear how often this has been done or the conditions required to ensure safe overwintering of vessels in the Beaufort Sea. No information exists on the likelihood of damage due to ice or its possible effects. A detailed study focused on the conditions of the Beaufort Sea would greatly aid many stakeholders on the magnitude of this problem and its possible impact. This study brought together different types of relevant data and information to resolve this important issue, with a focus on the ice loading considerations. As such, the objective of this project was to assess the damage potential for vessels or barges overwintering in land-fast ice. The project will inform the Inuvialuit and Regulators on the likelihood of damage and provide information on the best-available means of reducing the likelihood of damage to vessels overwintering in ice in the nearshore region of the Beaufort Sea.