NRC Canadian Arctic Shipping Risk Assessment System (CASRAS): report for fiscal year 2021-22

• Main Authors: Sudom, Denise, Lamontagne, Philippe, Burcher, Richard, Watson, David
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: National Research Council of Canada. Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering 2023
• Subjects: Arctic; shipping; ice; CASRAS; risk; sea ice; Canada; Northwest Territories; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4224/40003170; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/ft/?id=3a748ae9-588d-4ed2-8ca4-5577401ef729; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=3a748ae9-588d-4ed2-8ca4-5577401ef729; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=3a748ae9-588d-4ed2-8ca4-5577401ef729

In the Canadian Arctic, communities are heavily dependent on ships for dry cargo and fuel. The safety and efficiency of these marine operations can be enhanced through better access to environmental data and regional information. The present report summarizes the progress on the project CASRAS: A Tool for NWT Marine Trade Corridor Efficiency, Reliability and Safety during the period April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 (government fiscal year 2021-22). The Canadian Arctic Shipping Risk Assessment System (CASRAS) is a map-based software tool for viewing and analyzing Arctic data – with a focus on ice – relevant to shipping operations. The platform was initially developed through internal funding from NRC’s Arctic Program. In 2019, Transport Canada selected CASRAS as a project to be funded under the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF). The aim of this 5-year project is to build upon the CASRAS platform and provide enhanced tools to northern partners – to improve marine trade corridor efficiency, reliability and safety in the western Arctic. The main activities include compilation of environmental data and mariner knowledge, and integration of short-term and longer-range ice hazard forecasts. The CASRAS software was used by the Government of the Northwest Territories in the 2022 Arctic summer shipping season for their marine activities including community resupply. CASRAS is also currently used by groups at Transport Canada, Canadian Coast Guard and Department of National Defence. These groups have collaborative agreements with NRC and provide funding and support that is outside of the NTCF project. All CASRAS user groups regularly provide feedback and information, which NRC uses to improve the system and bring benefits to all user groups. In this way, NRC provides its own contributions to the NTCF project. The main development for the CASRAS software in FY21-22 was the addition of short term, regional ice forecasts to the system. Updated software with this new functionality was deployed to all end users in June 2022. ...