The Northwest Passage—Ocean Highway or Elusive Dream?
By “Awake!” correspondent in Canada
THE recent discovery of vast oil reserves in Alaska’s North Slope has again brought the question to the fore: Can the northern shores of North America be used as shipping lanes, thus cutting by thousands of miles the distance between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans? The obstacles to establishing an ocean highway through this northwest passage are formidable.
This is because the Arctic Ocean, which lies north of Canada and Alaska, is nearly completely covered by a massive, many-foot-thick ice pack. Only near the northern shores is there some open water during the summer. But much of the route is heavily choked with ice even during the more favorable part of the year, becoming plugged by massive ice floes that stream in from the permanent ice pack to the northwest. As a result, never had a large commercial vessel navigated the entire northwest passage.
Thus it was a significant accomplishment when, in September 1969, the SS Manhattan churned through hundreds of miles of heavy Arctic ice finally to negotiate the passage. But it was not an easy trip. The SS Manhattan became stuck in the ice at least six times, and needed to be freed by an accompanying Canadian icebreaker. It was even necessary to turn back after making an attempt to break through one major strait.
The Route
On August 24 the huge 150,000-ton, 1,005-foot-long SS Manhattan left Chester, Pennsylvania, headed up the Atlantic coast, traveled around Newfoundland, and passed through Davis Strait between Greenland and Baffin Island. In Baffin Bay she first met floes of ice, which she tested warily.
On September 5 the giant tanker entered Lancaster Sound, the entrance to the northwest passage. For about the next 800 miles she churned and smashed her way through the ice-clogged sea that is interspersed with numerous Canadian islands. She was halted seriously for the first time on September 9 off Melville Island, and needed help from her accompanying icebreaker. After smashing her way over 100 miles into McClure Strait, she finally was forced by heavy ice to turn around. Taking another route, through Prince of Wales Strait, she made her way past Banks Island.
On September 14 the huge tanker came out of the worst ice. Sailing from Prince of Wales Strait into Amundsen Gulf in the Beaufort Sea, she at last entered some open water, and the crew celebrated the successful passage. However, there yet remained hundreds of miles to go before reaching the destination of Point Barrow, Alaska.
Long a Dream
In their quest for a sea route to the Orient early explorers made many attempts to navigate the passage. Jacques Cartier, who claimed Canada for France in 1534, was actually searching for such a sea route. These early explorers anticipated a cargo of rich spices from China if a navigable route could be found.
Most voyages in those early days, however, were stricken with tragic losses, some with total disaster. Ships often became trapped in the ice for more than one winter, sometimes remaining enclosed during the summer so that little or no progress could be made. The dreaded disease scurvy, resulting from lack of vitamin C, took a terrible toll of human life during these expeditions.
By 1825 it was clear that the doorway to the passage lay through Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. Credit for finding the key to the passage along the continental coastline is generally given to the Franklin Expedition of 1845-1848. But the two ships and 129 men of that expedition perished in the frozen wastes. Finally, in 1903-1906 the first voyage through the entire passage was made under Norwegian Roald Amundsen, who followed Franklin’s route with a slight variation, traveling along the coastline from east to west.
In 1942 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police vessel St. Roch made the first successful voyage along the same route from west to east. Two years later it followed a more northerly route from east to west. By its voyage the SS Manhattan attempted to establish the feasibility of building specially equipped fleets of ships for transporting commercial products over this hazardous passage.
Cutting Shipping Distances
If this centuries-old dream of a northwest passage is realized, the savings in time and miles traveled can be tremendous. Use of the passage would cut the shipping distance from New York to Tokyo by 3,000 miles. The present route from London to Tokyo, not using the Suez Canal, is 15,000 miles. ]But through the northwest passage it would be reduced to less than 8,000! And Yokohama to Liverpool is 12,250 miles through the Panama Canal, but only 7,000 through the northwest passage.
Another consideration is: Middle East oil presently travels 8,000 miles to Japan and 11,000 miles to Europe. However, if the northwest passage is used, the recently discovered oil fields of Alaska and the potential ones in northern Canada will be only 4,000 miles from the Orient, 3,000 miles from England and 3,700 miles from western Europe.
Potential Commercial Benefits
Computers are now analyzing information gathered by the SS Manhattan to determine whether large tankers will be able successfully to traverse the passage throughout the year. Another voyage may be attempted by her in March to gather additional information to decide whether the route is commercially sound. What if it proves to be?
This will mean, according to Humble Oil and Refining Company estimates, that it will cost ninety cents to one dollar to ship a barrel of oil by tanker from the Alaskan oil fields to the eastern United States. This is about thirty-five to forty-five cents less than it would cost to transport the oil by pipeline, or by a combination of tanker and pipeline. Oil companies envision that it will also mean fleets of super icebreaker tankers transporting over this ocean highway two million barrels of oil a day by the early 1970’s, possibly affecting prices of oil and gasoline to the consumer’s advantage.
A shipbuilding boom would thus result by the opening up of the northwest passage. But Canada would perhaps be the principal beneficiary, for around her northern islands there are said to be vast reserves of oil and gas. Oil reserves are believed to be even greater than those discovered in Alaska, where major oil companies have already paid some $900 million for exploration and drilling rights alone.
In addition, vast mineral deposits have been discovered in northern Canada and more discoveries are expected. High-grade iron ore, lead, zinc, asbestos, copper and silver have been found. If the northwest passage could be used commercially and the northern shipping season lengthened, such riches could be unlocked.
Dispute over Sovereignty
Who owns the passage? That is a question being disputed. In the past Canada claimed sovereignty over these northern waterways, and no one was concerned about disputing such claims. Ministers of the Canadian government have recently issued statements to the effect that Canada will continue to exercise sovereignty over the waters of the Arctic archipelago.
Ships using the passage apparently would travel through Canadian waters, since at one point they must pass within three miles of shore, the recognized maritime offshore limit. So Canadian sovereignty over at least part of the passage appears certain. How Canada will view the remainder of the passage and expect other nations to view it is still being worked out by the government.
Nations holding sovereignty over waterways are expected to provide navigational aids and policing. And officials say that possibly six icebreakers located along the passage would be needed to help tankers through the ice. Canadian Transport Minister Don Jamieson estimated that it would cost Canada about $1,000,000,000 to provide the services required.
Although one commercial vessel has navigated the northwest passage, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories Stuart Hodgson noted: “One voyage does not make a success.” Northerners point out that last summer was exceptionally mild in the north, and that the voyage was made during the most favorable season. Veterans of the north would like to see the passage tackled in “March when she’s really tough.”
As already noted, the SS Manhattan may try this. At least until then it will not be known if the northwest passage will at last become an ocean highway, or will remain an elusive dream.