World Fuel Helps Maintain Critical Supply Route

The usual supply routes to Norman Wells Airport, the most northern location of the Canadian operations close to the Arctic Circle, were inaccessible this year due to low water in the canals and unsafe ice roads. As a result, the airport was the only supply route for all goods arriving into Norman Wells, making it crucial to keep the airport open.

Our teams worked closely with supply and logistics partners as well as the government of the Northwest Territories to secure a cargo plane at Yellowknife Airport and filled it with over 17,000 liters of jet fuel from their Yellowknife depot. They followed strict quality control, procedural, and documentation standards throughout the fuel transfer. The commercial team, including Bonnie Bhalla and Wayne Ference, worked closely with customers and local communities to keep them informed of supply limitations. Satu Jokinen and the supply team were in constant contact with our suppliers to ensure supply remained secure throughout the network. Greg Lang, the CAN Ops Manager, coordinated the logistics, safety, and quality procedures on the project.

The Ops teams in both locations braved the -41-degree weather and went beyond their normal duties to make the transfer possible. This project ensured the safety and well-being of the people in Norman Wells by keeping the airport open throughout the winter, keeping their only goods supply route open. World Fuel’s global breadth of networks, integrated management system, and our passionate team members are integral to our service offerings, enabling us to handle challenging situations.