For Immediate Release-
August 22, 2022
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
The Transglobal Car Expedition by GoodGear.org is commencing the recovery operation of the Arctic Trucks AT44 F-150 vehicle lost through the ice near the Tasmania Islands,
Nunavut, on 23 March 2022.
After the successful completion of the world’s first overland wheeled crossing from the continental shelf of Canada to the high Arctic (Yellowknife NT to Resolute NU) in March 2022, in the process of returning the vehicles to Cambridge Bay on March 23, 2022, one vehicle was lost through the surface in an area of rapidly shifting ice on a heavy current. No one was injured.
In the months following, the Transglobal Car Expedition has worked with local communities and regional and federal authorities to develop a recovery program. This incident has improved our understanding of the safety measures needed for the planned full circumnavigation of the globe in 2024. It has also provided important data on the viability of travel on the ice in the context of global warming, which is making traveling over the ice more dangerous for Indigenous communities and other ice travelers.
The Transglobal Car Expedition team knows that the Arctic is one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet, and any pollution there can have irreversible consequences. Taking full responsibility for the accident, the team has planned all the recovery stages and is now prepared to start the operation.
Starting August 25, 2022 the recovery team will operate from Gjoa Haven, which is 300 km from the sunken vehicle. A team of highly experienced Arctic divers will begin an underwater recovery operation which will float the truck using airbags and secure it on the island. When secured on land, it will be inspected and made ready for airlift. Coldstream
Helicopters’ heavy lift helicopter will carry it to Gjoa Haven, where it will be made ready for the next available sealift vessel to Montreal.
An experienced film/presenting team will follow the recovery team. Local hunters have been retained as wildlife monitors. Following the recovery, the team will leave the site after making sure that it remains in pristine condition. It is estimated that the team will be on-site for approximately three days to account for any delay in lifting the truck.
“This is a massively complex operation in a very remote area of a precious landscape. Months of planning have gone into this effort and the Transglobal Car Expedition has committed all the resources necessary to succeed and ensure the team’s safety during this process,” said Emil Grimsson, head of Arctic Trucks Polar of Iceland, who will monitor the operation from Gjoa Haven.
Added Andrew Comrie-Picard, a Canadian expedition member and director of the media team:
“This is an international team of the best in the world in polar wheeled travel, augmented with experienced cold-water recovery experts and a team of Indigenous underwater camera operators. Our respect for the land motivates our desire to do the right thing to remediate the area, and also bring the world’s eyes to one of the most pristine and beautiful places on the planet.”
The parent organization of the Transglobal Car Expedition is the Swiss non-profit GoodGear, which seeks to bring innovative technologies to locations around the world for the betterment of local communities and the advancement of scientific research.
More info is available at www.transglobalcar.com
For comments, questions, or interview requests please contact ops@goodgear.org