Structural Engineering Design | Structural Health Monitoring | SHM Canada Consulting Limited
Pang Harbour Development
Professional construction inspection in support of Nunavut’s first Small Craft Harbour.
Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a predominantly Inuit hamlet on Baffin Island, has a strong Arctic Char and Greenlandic Turbot fishery. The community had long recognized a need for improved fishing facilities to support local hunters and fishers. In 2009, the Government of Canada announced a plan to develop a Small Craft Harbour in Pangnirtung, emphasizing the potential for economic development in the fishing industry. The harbour, which opened in 2013, is the first Small Craft Harbour in Nunavut and was hailed by the province as a “an essential project [that] provides an enduring economic benefit to the hamlet of Pangnirtung.”
| When | Completed October 2012 |
|---|---|
| Where | Pangnirtung, NU |
| Client | Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) |
| Core Tasks | Resident marine construction inspection services |
| Challenges |
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SHM Canada was selected by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to provide resident marine construction inspection services for the construction of a sheet pile fixed wharf at Pangnirtung. The scope of work included inspection of each stage of work, maintenance of daily work records, preparation of daily progress reports, and liaison with the PSPC project officer. The daily progress reports included a list of operational equipment and personnel on site, a description of challenges and delays, general observations on the weather and the progress of the work, and photographs. These reports were prepared by the inspector and reviewed at the SHM Canada office in Halifax for accuracy, presentation, and consistency before being forwarded to the PSPC Project Officer.
The weather conditions and significant tidal range posed challenges for the contractor as well as SHM Canada’s resident inspector. The overall working season was limited due to the geographic location of the site, and some of the work could only be carried out during high tides. A significant amount of work had to be carried out within an extremely small window of opportunity, which required the inspector to adapt to a constantly changing 12-hour work schedule through close liaison with the contractor. Lack of reliable telephone and internet services posed a significant challenge in communicating effectively with the SHM Canada office in Halifax and the PSPC Project Officer based in Winnipeg, MB.
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