Milne Inlet
Milne Inlet (72°15′N 080°30′W / 72.250°N 80.500°W / 72.250; -80.500 (Mine Inlet)Coordinates: 72°15′N 080°30′W / 72.250°N 80.500°W / 72.250; -80.500 (Mine Inlet)) is a body of water in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region.[1]
It flows in a southerly direction from Navy Board Inlet at the confluence of Eclipse Sound. Ragged Island is located at the inlet's opening, while Stephens Island is located further within. Baffinland had proposed in 2008 to build a harbour here.
Then connecting the mine to Steensby Inlet, via a special cold-weather railway was planned in 2011.
A few years later, after Baffinland's original environmental assessments had been approved, Baffinland announced that a fall in ore prices meant they could no longer justify the high capital cost of building the railway. Instead they proposed spending a smaller sum to construct a "tote road" that would allow ore to be trucked to Milne Inlet. They ended up building the road, and the harbour at Milne Inlet (at 71°53′10″N 80°53′26″W / 71.88611°N 80.89056°W / 71.88611; -80.89056 (Mine Inlet)).[2] The bulk carrier Federal Tiber departed from Milne Inlet on August 8, 2015, with the first shipment of ore from the mine.
References
- ↑ Julie Gedeon (2009-03-02). "ARCTIC SHIPPING SPECIAL REPORT: Floating wharf gets around lack of Arctic infrastructure". Canadian Sailings. Archived from the original on 2009-12-12.
- ↑ Milne Camp at Assomption Harbour The sandy point in middle foreground is proposed dock site by N John Olyslager, 2011