Hover barges could be low-cost alternative for Ring of Fire road, researcher says

A Sudbury mining innovation group says the province should consider the use of hover barges before embarking on a multimillion-dollar road construction project linking the Ring of Fire, a mineral-rich region in northern Ontario, to the provincial highway network. 

Doug Morrison, president and chief exeuctive officer of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), said the Sudbury-based innovation lab has identified the use of hover barges — large-capacity transport machines that could potentially float on the region's already-existing ice roads — as one cost-effective alternative to transporting materials. 

"There's a crying need for more supplies and material to be moved into the fly-in reserves, and this is one way to try and address that problem," Morrison said.

Hover barges are marine vessels with air cushioning systems designed specifically for operation in shallow water, soft ground or over ice. According to Argo Engineering, an American hover barge consultancy firm, "hoverbarges have been used for payloads ranging from 50 to 450 tonnes with designs commissioned up to 2,500 tonnes." 

Morrison said CEMI introduced the prospect of using hover barges to major mining companies with a stake in the Ring of Fire, but the idea met with indifference. 

"We presented the technology in several meetings, several conferences, etcetera, but it got very little traction, very little attention," Morrison said.

"It's something that we've had to put on the sidelines because there was so little interest."

But now, as the province pushes ahead with plans to develop the region and access the materials critical to the booming electric-vehicle (EV) industry, calls to reconsider CEMI's alternative are emerging.

On Monday, Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said CEMI's hover barge idea was a sign of innovation and fresh perspectives in the mining industry.

"I think the government, what they need to look at is the kinds of innovations that are happening within the mining sector and choose the most fiscally responsible and least environmental-impact solution," Schreiner said to reporters at Queen's Park. 

"I would recommend everyone spend some time with the Mining Innovation Centre in Sudbury," Schreiner said. 

"They are looking at alternatives to building roads that would have lower environmental impact and possibly work more efficiently from a transportation perspective."

The provincial government recently approved the terms of reference for an environmental assessment (EA) on the third and final road leading to the Ring of Fire.

It's part of a proposal, along with the Marten Falls Community Access Road and the Webequie Supply Road, to build roughly 450 kilometres of all-season roadway through the boreal forest and swampy peat lands of northern Ontario, linking the Ring of Fire to the provincial highway network.