Far North Digital LLC is developing the Far North Fiber cable project. It is the first submarine fiber optic cable to be laid through the Arctic Ocean and the Northwest Passage connecting Asia and Northern Europe. The 14,000km route extends through Canadian waters entering the Queen Elizabeth Islands from the west through McClure Strait, proceeding through Viscount Melville Sound, Barrow Strait and Lancaster Sound, then exiting into Baffin Bay and south through Davis Strait into the North Atlantic Ocean. The cable will incorporate a number of branching units which will provide for future branches to strategic landing sites in Canada's Arctic Archipelago.This application is made for, and limited to, activities involved in the marine route survey for the future communications corridor. The application covers shipboard marine survey activities that will determine a suitable route for the future installation of the Far North Fiber cable. The work associated with installation of the cable will be the subject of a future, separate permit application.The approximate route length of the cable through Canada’s territorial seas is 1,360 kilometers. Of that, roughly 900 km traverses Nunavut waters. The survey corridor will be 500 meters wide along the length of the route.The Marine Survey will be performed along the cable route to ensure that the cable system is installed on the most benign seabed, avoiding any adverse impacts on sensitive living marine resources and clear of any features which could pose a threat to the design life of the cable system. The geophysical and geotechnical investigation of the route establishes a detailed profile of the seabed corridor where the cable is to be laid. The survey will include a Burial Assessment Survey (BAS) which consists of Cone Penetrometer Testing (CPT) and measurements to predict the soil type, its relative density and shear strength. The output of this activity enables production of a unique cable profile which is specifically adapted to the nature of the seabed to ensure long-term durability of the cable.Project timeline makes conservative allowance for survey activities over the entire cable route from Japan to Europe for up to two and a half years, affording opportunity for weather and ice dependent effort in the Arctic for up to three summer seasons, 2022-2024. Survey operations will be conducted on a 24-hour basis, weather and sea conditions permitting, and the survey vessel will display the shapes and lights prescribed in the International Rules for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) Rule 27, to indicate that the survey vessel is restricted in its ability to maneuver. A listening watch will be maintained at all times on VHF Channel 16, and the vessel will actively transmit an AIS signal. Coordinates of the survey area will be broadcast at regular intervals on Channel 16 and appropriate working channels as prescribed Notices to Mariners.