There will be no barge to Tulita or Norman Wells due to historically low water levels on the Mackenzie River.
An announcement was released by Marine Transportation Services (MTS) on May 23.
"This difficult but necessary decision was made as the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence is not navigable and includes obstacles such as large boulders and gravel bars at key manoeuvring areas," said the press release. "Current conditions are unsafe for marine crews and would risk the integrity of vessels, cargo and fuel. We understand that these changes have negative impacts on customers, but safety remains our top priority.
"Customers who already dropped off their cargo at the Hay River terminal can either arrange for it to be picked up and taken up on the winter road or leave it at the terminal until the 2025 sailing season. MTS customer service will contact impacted customers directly."
Tulita will now have to wait until the 2025 winter road season for a re-stocking of its fuel reserves, though MTS says it expects the community has "sufficient inventory to last until that time."
Fuel in Norman Wells is distributed by Imperial Oil. MTS says they have contacted the international corporation and it is in the process of notifying its customers to "develop alternative supply plans to the region."
To date, the sailing schedule to Łutselkʼe has not been impacted.