Canadian Lynden Transport, Alaska Marine Lines support silver mine in Whitehorse

Since the 1960s, Lynden has helped mining customers explore, develop and operate mines across Alaska and Canada. Since 2010, Canadian Lynden Transport and Alaska Marine Lines have provided truck and barge support to the Alexco silver mine located within the Keno Hill Silver District in Canada's Yukon Territory (YT). Keno Hill is one of the highest-grade silver districts in the world. Hecla purchased Alexco in 2022, reinvested in the mine and mill, and reopened in 2023.

According to Service Center Manager Chris Reid, Lynden's eight-person team at the Canadian Lynden Transport office includes six drivers alternating two trucks a day to the mine (see photo of Driver Boyce Kucherean above). Drivers start their day at 1 a.m. to accommodate mine schedules and make the 12-hour trip between Whitehorse, YT and Keno, YT. Two empty containers are delivered to the mine, and drivers pick up two 20-ton containers of silver concentrate, or three 17-ton pots of zinc concentrate for delivery to the dock in Skagway, AK. The 'b-train' payload is trucked to Alaska Marine Lines for loading onto the southbound barge, with eventual delivery to a processing plant in China.

In Skagway, Lynden drivers pick up general freight off the barge for delivery in Whitehorse, or empty containers to backhaul for use at the mine. The trip includes a border crossing each way between Canada and the U.S.

"We haul Coke and Pepsi products, windows and doors, cement – anything that comes in on the barge that needs to be delivered," Chris explains. "We of course bring in a lot of materials and supplies for the mine as well."

The harsh Canadian winters can sometimes present challenges. "You never know what's going to happen up here. It could be winter storms, forest fires or an avalanche blocking the road for a week," Chris explains. "During the summer, the line to cross the border can get pretty long with tourists on vacation and traffic off the cruise ships. We pride ourselves on reliability and on-time deliveries no matter what the conditions."