Davie lays keel for LNG fueled ferry

Chairman and CEO of STQ, Mr. Jocelyn Fortier, places a ceremonial coin as part of the keel laying, watched by Québec's Minister for Transport and the Implementation of the Maritime Strategy, Mr. Jean D'Amour

FEBRUARY 26, 2015 — Chantier Davie Canada Inc. today held a keel-laying ceremony at its Lévis, Québec, shipyard to mark the beginning of the hull assembly for the MV Armand-Imbeau II.

The vessel is the first of two dual-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) RoPax passenger ferries being built  for Société des Traversiers du Québec (STQ).

The MV Armand-Imbeau II is scheduled to be delivered by the shipbuilder in Fall 2015 followed by its sister ship, the MV Jos-Deschênes II, four months later.

They will be the first LNG fueled ferries to be built in North America,

Measuring 92 m long, each ship will be able to transport up to 110 vehicles, on two decks, including tractor-trailers.

The ferries will have Wärtsilä 20DF engines and LNGPac fuel storage and treatment systems and electric thrusters rather than conventional propellers.  

Participants at the keel laying ceremony included Québec’s Minister for Transport and the Implementation of the Maritime Strategy, Mr. Jean D’Amour, and the Chairman and CEO of STQ, Mr. Jocelyn Fortier.

“Ferry construction is and has always been core business for Davie,” said Alan Bowen, Davie’s chief executive officer. “The STQ ferries incorporate many of the technologies in which we specialize for example LNG propulsion, electrical thruster systems and high ice-class hulls.”

Mr. D’Amour added “With the upcoming unveiling of the [Québec] Maritime Strategy, this ceremony has a very particular significance for my government. With the construction of two ships for the Tadoussac crossing, the STQ continues the process of renewing its fleet, using an efficient green technology, which will allow users to broaden their experience on board its ferries. Chantier Davie provides its expertise for the benefit of the whole community, an expertise that will largely be used within the context of the very first Quebec Maritime Strategy.”

Mr. Fortier noted that the two new ferries will allow for an improved offering of crossing services as a whole.

“The two current ferries for the Tadoussac crossing, put into service in the 80’s, marked a new era, mainly with the activation of the gangway from the wheelhouse,” he said. “Thirty-five years later we are breaking new ground with the construction of two ferries with green technology and increased capacity. They will be the first LNG-propelled ferries built in North America. This technology and several other innovations on board will enable the Société des traversiers du Québec to be on the cutting edge of the maritime transportation of passengers in North America.”