For the first time since 1954, the Canadian military patrol icebreaker passed through the Northwest Passage, bypassing Canada from the north. The ship “Harry DeWulf” left the port of the northern city of Iqaluit in the Atlantic Ocean on August 7 and will soon arrive in Vancouver.
“It was the longest uninterrupted time that a Canadian warship has been in the Arctic for more than 50 years,” said Corey Gleason, the ship’s commander.
He said that the ship, inducted only last year, is adapted to work in all weather conditions, including during severe Arctic cold.
Canada believes that the Northwest Passage, which significantly shortens the sea route from Asia to Europe, runs through its territorial waters, but a number of other countries, including the United States, disagree. Due to climate change, the Northwest Passage is gradually being cleared of ice and will soon be able to pass sea traffic year-round. To assert control of this promising trade route, Canada has commissioned several specially designed vessels for its naval operations in the Arctic, the first of which is the HMCS Harry Dewulf.