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Marine Transportation Services' first barge of the season has reached Tulita.

"It is carrying 491 tonnes of deck cargo and over 3.5 million litres of fuel for Tulita, Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope," wrote NWT Infrastructure as they announced the shipment's arrival on their social media feed on July 11.

Getting to Tulita was an eight day trek through the Mackenzie River system, as the barge set sail on July 3. The barge will continue onward towards Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope. A barge bound for Lutsel K'e departed July 6 and a second will set sail on Aug. 3.

A second shipment is planned for Tulita and Norman Wells. That run was accepting cargo until July 9 but will not set sail until July 26.

After a vandalized fuel line delayed a delivery to Sachs Harbour in 2022, MTS began anchoring a barge in Tuktoyaktuk to handle shipments in the Beaufort Delta. That barge services Sarchs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Kugluktuk in Nunavut. Final cargo date for those communities is Aug. 12 but a sailing date has not been set yet. The barge also services Aklavik, but a final cargo acceptance date has not been listed as of writing.

Residents in Norman Wells sounded off to NNSL after Marine Transport Services announced on June 26 anyone shipping cargo to the Sahtu region had until June 30 to get it to Hay River, with many saying the four-day window was too short of a notice to get cargo to Hay River.

Public anger in a Norman Wells community forum was so strong Infrastructure Minister Vince McKay went so far to apologize to residents for the short notice. He added he only received the schedule from the Coast Guard on June 25 and approved the messaging "within minutes."

Following the backlash, MTS announced the second trip to Tulita, Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope.

Low water in the Mackenzie River basin caused by ongoing droughts in Northern Alberta have created logistical headaches for the GNWT in the past few years, as much of the territory is not connected by roads and relies on barges to move goods in the summer. Shorter winters resulting from climate change have also reduced the ice-road season in the winter, making resupplying remote communities more expensive. Many communities are now relying on flying goods in, which increases costs of living and also increases the greenhouse gas output of the community.