Electric Car - Pole to Pole

Location

  • Iceland / Canada

Client Account Manager

Michael Stanton

Business Development Manager

Overview

Playing a small part in a major world first

Husband and wife adventure team Chris and Julie Ramsey have spent years planning a groundbreaking project: to drive from the North Pole to the South Pole in an electric vehicle (EV). Their 17,000km Pole To Pole journey aimed to raise the profile of EVs, showcasing their capabilities and thereby accelerating their adoption worldwide. 


One of our existing clients recommended Hemisphere to Chris as a logistics partner and – as experts in shipping unique items all over the globe – we were thrilled to help them get their Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE on the way to its starting point.


Challenge

Shipping technology to the ends of the Earth

Few people in history have tried the ambitious expedition from the North Pole to the South Pole, but nobody has ever attempted the journey by car, let alone an EV. At Hemisphere, we’re known for our love of cars and expertise in shipping vehicles across continents by land, sea and air, so we were honoured to be tasked with helping the Pole To Pole team transport the vehicle that would drive from one end of the Earth to the other. 


In advance of Chris and Julie setting off from the Magnetic North Pole in March 2023, they needed to get their Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE – modified and equipped for extreme conditions by Arctic Trucks – from port in Reykjavik, Iceland, to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. This journey of 2,355 nautical miles would mean nearly 10 days at sea for the all-new vehicle, during which time its safety would be paramount.


Delivery

Even the most robust vehicles need careful handling

Our role throughout this project was all about coordination and communication. Our team kept in close contact with the shipping line, the truck modification company, the ports and of course Chris and Julie at every stage. 


Even though the car was shipped as ‘hazardous’, paperwork went perfectly according to plan. We worked closely with the carrier to prepare the Dangerous Goods Note (DGN), shipping documentation, insurance and container loading.


The company that handled some of the Arctic refitting preparation work on the vehicle delivered it into the shipping line’s depot, and they dealt with it from there. Shipping line staff handled the loading of the vehicle onto the flatrack container, where it was securely strapped down before being loaded onto the vessel. The journey to Nova Scotia began. 


On arrival at Halifax, the car was put under a customs hold for a soil inspection, which was dealt with very quickly, thanks to swift communications from all parties. Following this, Chris visited the local customs office with documents in hand including the notice of arrival, vehicle registration and his ID – to get the Nissan customs cleared.


Once this was done, we ran up against a final challenge: at the last minute the warehouse we planned to use for offloading the Nissan from the flatrack was unable to assist us as a result of unforeseen circumstances. However, to keep to schedule, Chris needed to get on the road the day it cleared customs – in order to resolve this, we approached the port themselves. After explaining the situation, they were keen to assist. Meaning we were able to make a plan for safe unloading with them directly and on the same day.


Results

On time and in prime condition for this groundbreaking expedition

The Nissan Ariya arrived safely and to schedule, to the delight of intrepid electric vehicle adventurer Chris Ramsey. As he says in his own words: 


Woo hoo, I have been reunited with my Pole to Pole EV expedition Ariya in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team cannot thank Hemisphere Freight Services enough for handling the whole process from start to finish, making sure the car arrived safely. Thank you to the team at HFS, Michael Stanton and Dan Leach, for supporting the logistics during this crucial part of the journey. HFS kept the team up to date every step of the way. Communications from them were brilliant. Great team, good bunch of people and highly recommend them.”


We’re very proud to be a sponsor of Chris and Julie’s Pole To Pole expedition – the first to be undertaken by car – and are so pleased that they both completed their journey successfully. We wish them the best in their continued mission to promote cleaner electric alternatives to combustion engines. 


We were delighted to help with the safe carriage of the Nissan all the way from Reykjavík port to Nova Scotia. We’re no strangers to shipping automotives, and it’s great that we’ve had such an exciting opportunity to add further Electric Vehicle movements to our portfolio. We are pleased that Chris and Julie completed their journey safely and wish them well in their pursuit to raise awareness of the climate crisis.

Michael Stanton

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