Logistics in Canada's Far North The DeBeers Victor Mine in the far north of Ontario is now in the closure and rehabilitation, after producing over 6,000,000 carats of diamonds during the mine's 10-year life. The mine site is located approximately 100 km west of the Attawapiskat First Nation. The only access to the site is via winter road or by air. The extremely cold winter weather also makes access to the mine a challenge. During the closure, which will take approximately 5 years, during which time approximately 100 workers will be on site. Most of the work will entail the environmental rehabilitation of the site, back to its original state. One of the biggest challenges will be the removal of large equipment from the site. There are several large pieces of mining equipment the need to be removed from the site including Caterpillar 770 haul trucks and 336 excavators. This equipment is so large it will require some dismantling before transport. https://www.toromontcat.com/ Transportation Options: Air: The Victor Site has an airstrip that can accommodate large aircraft. Flying time from the site to Timmins is approximately one hour. There are currently weekly flights between the mine site and Timmins to transport the workforce and supplies. The Dash 8 aircraft used for the flights are operated by Air Creebec. https://www.aircreebec.ca/ Thunder Air is sometimes used for the charter of smaller aircraft. https://www.thunderair.com/ During the construction phase of the mine, Lockheed Hercules C-130 aircraft were used to transport large equipment to site. One Caterpillar 770 can be transported on this aircraft, with some dismantling. The cost to charter a Hercules is over $1,000,000! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_C-130_Hercules Ice Road: Every winter, an ice road is built along the Western James Bay coast from south of Moosonee (where the year-round road ends) to Moosonee, then thorough the First Nations communities of Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat, then to the Victor Mine site. The construction of this road is dependant on cold weather. Access to the road for transport is generally available from Mid January until the end of March. Driving Times and distances: Timmins to Moosonee: 4 hours, 600km (part winter road, part year round road) Moosonee to Victor Mine: 8 hours, 400km The winter road is built by: https://www.winterroadcompany.ca/ Building an ice road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvun9-KqZ5Y Driving on an ice road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk8fFeUGKj0 Articles about the winter road: https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2012/02/03/the_james_bay_winter_road_links_attawapiskat_and_moosonee_in_northern_ontario.html?rf https://suncruisermedia.com/4WDrive/places/winter-roads-to-attawapiskat/ Rail: The Ontario Northland runs freight train service from Cochrane Ontario (1.5 hour drive, 100 km Northeast of Timmins) to Moosonee. Large shipments of equipment and supplies can be shipped by train to Moosonee and then taken by truck, on the winter road, to the Victor site. There are storage yards available in Moosonee and Cochrane available for shipments that are waiting for transfer from truck to rail. https://www.ontarionorthland.ca/en/travelling-train Equipment Removal: One of the biggest challenges will be the removal of large equipment from the site. There are several large pieces of mining equipment the need to be removed from the site including Caterpillar 797 haul trucks and 336 excavators. This equipment is so large it will require some dismantling before transport. https://www.toromontcat.com/ https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/off-highway-trucks/mining-trucks/18093014.html Food: The workforce at the Victor site, work a 2 week in/2 week out schedule (they fly to site from Timmins, work 14 x 12 hour shifts, then fly out and have 14 days off). In Canada, to attract skilled workers to remote job sites, accommodations, facilities and the food have to be excellent. The Victor Mine is renowned for this. The site has a state-of-the-art kitchen, fresh food is flown in weekly, so the qualified chefs can ensure quality meals. Weather: Weather is a challenge on the James Bay coast. In the winter, extreme cold is common. This can be dangerous and can lead to equipment breakdown. In the summer, temperatures remain cool, and fog is a factor, regularly delaying flights. Your Challenge: As a Logistics Professional, you are tasked with the planning the removal of the large mining equipment (from the site to Timmins) and the delivery of food and managing the food inventory on site. Your boss as asked you to answer the following questions: The 797 Haul trucks have been sold to Toromont and need to be shipped to their Timmins location. How will you transport the 797 Haul Trucks to Timmins? Evaluate the 3 potential transport methods available (air, winter road, rail winter road combination). List and explain the pros, cons, and risks of each. List a minimum of 2 pros and cons for each. Rank of the options and make a final recommendation. 35 points The 797 Haul trucks have been sold to Toromont and need to be shipped to their Timmins location. How will you transport the 797 Haul Trucks to Timmins? Evaluate the 3 potential transport methods available (air, winter road, rail winter road combination). List and explain the pros, cons, and risks of each. List a minimum of 2 pros and cons for each. Rank of the options and make a final recommendation. This Is my