A consultant with a specialization in fostering relationships bet-ween companies in Greenland and those in this province said Thursday there will continue to be partnership opportunities in the foreseeable future.
Between interest in developing waystations for development in the Arctic and interest in untapped oil and mineral reserves, Greenland has seen an influx of exploration and development dollars in the last few years, Jeff Howard of Tailwinds Consulting told the Rotary Club of St. John’s.
Howard, who has been making regular trips to and from Greenland, said a small collection of companies from this province have already been able to capitalize on investments in Greenland’s natural resources to date.
For example, he said, since Cairn Energy began frontier exploration drilling offshore Greenland, Provincial Airlines, Cougar Helicopters and Miller Shipping have all been contracted. Engineers and ice specialists at C-CORE have also been tapped for work.
When Howard attended “Joining Forces 2011: Greenland Conference on Minerals and Oil” in September, he was one of a small herd who had slipped away from their home offices in Newfoundland and Labrador for the event.
Among the attendees were
representatives for: NOIA, P.F.
Collins, Harvey Group of Cos., Cartwright Drilling, Stantec and Subsea 7.
“It’s a question of logistics,” Howard said in his Rotary Club address.
With the geographic proximity of Newfoundland and Labrador versus competitors in the United States or Europe, heavy industry infrastructure, knowledge of operating offshore in the upper North Atlantic and a general under-
standing of the challenges of harsh environment operations, companies in this province are well-
positioned to be competitive for supply and service contracts in Greenland.
Agreements, such as the one struck between Provincial Airlines and Air Greenland, announced Feb. 3, are strengthening ties between companies here and there.
Provincial Airlines and Air Greenland agreed to develop a new route between Greenland's capital, Nuuk, and Iqaluit — allowing for movement of both people and cargo to and from the autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark along a route not requiring a criss-crossing to and from Europe.
The new route, “has leveled the playing field from that perspective,” Howard said.
“We look forward to operating into Canada again,” Air Greenland's Chief Commercial Officer, Christian Keldsen, stated in a release on the deal. “Air Greenland had a route to Canada from 1981-2001."
Greenland remains a high-risk, high-reward location.
There have yet to be any significant discoveries declared for Greenland’s offshore oil and gas industry.
And, if international investment falls flat, so too will business opportunities.
“However, in 2013 it’s going to be an interesting year,” Howard said, pointing to interest expressed in offshore Greenland by Husky and other players, as well as the time left on existing exploration licences for multiple players through 2015-16.
afitzpatrick@thetelegram.com
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