Commentary
FEDNAV PIONEERS
THE
USE
OF
DRONES
IN
POLAR
SHIPPING
Pascale Bourbonnais
In March 2014, Fednav became the first shipping company to employ drones, or Unmanned Air
Vehicles (UAV), for ice reconnaissance on a commercial voyage. The Umiak I, one of Fednav’s
three powerful icebreaking bulk carriers, used a variety of video-equipped drones to scout ahead of
the vessel in the ice-covered waters of the Labrador Coast. The goal was to provide the captain and
officers with detailed real-time visual information on the local ice conditions.
Fednav Limited is a Montreal-based international shipping company. Its principal activities include
the transport of bulk and general cargo worldwide. Since the Company’s very early days, the Arctic
has played a vital role in Fednav’s success. Fednav in turn, has played a pivotal role in the
development of innovative transportation solutions for the harsh Arctic conditions. As such, the
company is widely recognized in Canada and internationally as a pioneer in Polar shipping.
Enfotec, a Fednav subsidiary and industry leader, has for more than 20 years specialized in providing
advanced ice imagery and analysis to vessels operating in difficult ice conditions. Enfotec is also the
developer and distributor of IceNav™, a shipboard navigation system used by many types of vessels
Pascale Bourbonnais is Ice Analyst, Enfotec, at Fednav.