Mr. Speaker, five years ago the Government of the Northwest Territories took responsibility for the tugs, barges and marine facilities that have served our communities for decades. Since then, Marine Transportation Services, also known as MTS, has evolved and improved and provides reliable and professional marine shipping service while supporting the Northwest Territories' economy and workforce development.
In 2020, MTS delivered more than 6300 tons of cargo and 28 million litres of fuel to the communities on Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River, the Beaufort Delta, and the Arctic Coast. Millions of litres of fuel were delivered to 20 coastal north warning radar systems on behalf of the Department of National Defence.
Mr. Speaker, planning for the 2021 sailing season, our fifth season, is on schedule. The first barges are expected to depart Hay River in mid June. This is the first of 16 tows scheduled for the season. With a robust COVID-19 mitigation plan in place to protect our communities, residents can ship and receive their cargo safely. Thanks to funding provided by Canada, four new double-hulled barges joined the MTS fleet late last year. These barges will be in service this season, carrying deck cargo and petroleum products to our communities and customers.
For the past two summers, adventurous teenagers from Ndilo, Dettah, Lutselk'e and Yellowknife have joined a unique research expedition to help scientists conduct a bathymetric study of Great Slave Lake, the deepest of any lake in North America, and to install moorings in Christie Bay. These young people worked with researchers using cutting-edge technology and shared traditional knowledge of the water they grew up on. They shadowed the captain and the crew of the vessel, learning about exciting and fulfilling career paths they might never have otherwise considered.
This collaboration between young Northerners and world-class scientists took place on the MV Nahidik. The MTS vessel is leased to the Arctic Research Foundation, a non-government organization that collaborates with northern and Indigenous communities to support scientific research in the North.
I had an opportunity to visit the vessel and meet some of the students when it docked at the end of last season. I toured the vessel, was given a demonstration of some of the equipment they used, and most importantly met some of the students who had just completed this exciting expedition. Our association with the Aurora Arctic Research Foundation supports infrastructure projects and northern youth, and by advancing northern science we may better understand the effect of climate change on northern waters.
MTS also supports the Canadian Coast Guard's navigational aid program in NWT waters, performing annual inspections, overhaul, repair and maintenance to the Canadian Coast Guard's vessels Dumit, Eckaloo, and the GNWT Hay River shipyard. This essential program places and maintains buoys and range markers each year, facilitating the safe passage of commercial marine traffic on the Mackenzie River and the Great Slave Lake.
Through the Marine Training Centre and with the support of Transportation Canada, our partnership with the Nunavut Fisheries and Marine Training Consortium supports marine-related education and training in the Northwest Territories creating long-term and fulfilling employment opportunities for NWT residents.
Mr. Speaker, through MTS, the GNWT will continue to pursue opportunities with public and private stakeholders, and our hardworking MTS crew will continue to deliver essential supplies to our communities. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.