Labrador Marine News

October 16, 2019 - For immediate release

Labrador Marine guarantees all north coast freight will be delivered before freeze-up

(Happy Valley-Goose Bay) – Labrador Marine President and CEO Peter Woodward met with senior leaders and officials from the Nunatsiavut Government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday. He guaranteed that all freight received at LMI’s Goose Bay terminal by the cut-off date of November 8th for commercial and residential freight will be delivered to north coast communities by the end of this shipping season in December.

“All of the freight that is here in our terminal by November 8th will be transported to the north coast,” said Woodward. “We have more than enough capacity to get the job done but we will lease more if required.”

On Tuesday, the Kamutik W completed a four-day round trip to the north coast and departed again on Wednesday afternoon to head north. “We have a full load on this trip,” said Woodward. “There is less than a full load of freight at the terminal now.”

LMI has also held discussions with transportation companies planning to ship groceries north and assured them those shipments will get delivered.

The Kamutik W’s bow and stern are built to Swedish ice class 1A super standard, which allows the vessel to navigate at 8 knots in 20 centimetre land-fast ice. It means the Kamutik W can operate until after mid-December in north coast ports, weeks longer than the previous ships, Northern Ranger and Astron. “We will be there until December 20th if we have to,” says Woodward. “We will get all freight delivered. The job will get done.”
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Woodward’s has a long history of shipping in northern Labrador, beginning with stevedoring in the 1960’s. In 1973, the company began delivering fuel to the north coast and in 1981, it introduced container service for freight with the Astron. “We have never let the north coast down,” said Woodward. “We will do what it takes to get the job done this fall.”

Peter Woodward
President & CEO, Woodward Group of Companies