Recovering the Transglobal Car Expedition by GoodGear.org has been completed successfully.
A vehicle lost in the ice near Qikirtat is operated by Arctic Trucks AT44 F-150 (Tasmania) Islands, Nunavut, on 23 March 2022.
Four Inuit team members were included in the group of 12 people on the extraction crew, and the highly-experienced international recovery team worked closely with regional administrations and local communities. On August 27, 2022, the team lifted the vehicle using specialized equipment and carefully planned each step.
Using airbags, cold-water divers carefully raised the truck off the ocean floor, then tow it out of the strong current and near the island shore during the underwater recovery phase. After turning the vehicle upright with cables and airbags, they raised it to the surface before pulling it to shore. Slings were used to prepare the vehicle for airlift on land.
The Arctic Trucks AT44 F-150 was delivered to Gjoa Haven by Coldstream Helicopters' heavy lift Airbus Super Puma helicopter for preparation for sealift to Montreal on the next available vessel. In spite of this, it is unlikely that the vehicle can be salvaged due to corrosion of the electronics and aluminum components.
Getting a truck back was never the goal of this recovery operation. According to Andrew Comrie-Picard, a Canadian team member, it was about doing the right thing and respecting the land. “It was very powerful to see the helicopter carry the truck over the horizon and hear the sudden silence and the water dripping off the ice floes. With one-third of our team being Inuit it was a privilege to have them with us to show us the tent circles and meat caches that went back hundreds of years, on an island that a passing boat would consider uninhabited. It is not. It is the land of their ancestors.”
It was determined that the fragile Arctic ecosystem would be preserved by leaving the site in pristine condition. Emil Grimsson, Icelandic team member and principal of Arctic Trucks, added “My feeling of seeing the car coming back after five months of preparations and extensive work on the extraction gave a sense of completion and is a testament to the ability of expert teamwork to achieve a very, very difficult task. With all our work in Iceland and Antarctica, we always seek to respect the environment, and I’m glad we were able to do that here.”
All participants in the Transglobal Car Expedition by GoodGear.org are deeply grateful to them for ensuring safety, managing risks, and contributing to the successful recovery operation. GoodGear, a Swiss non-profit that seeks to improve lives around the world through the advancement of science and technology, is the parent organization of the Transglobal Car Expedition.
More info is available at www.transglobalcar.com
Published: September 16, 2022
