LNG-fueled ferry won’t reach Quebec until April

F.A. Gauthier on sea trials

MARCH 20, 2015 — Recently published reports that Fincantieri has already delivered the LNG fueled ferry F.A. Gauthier to Canada’s STQ  (Société des traversiers du Québec) are premature. According to AIS data accessed via Vesseltracker.com, this morning the 133 m long, 800-passenger capacity vessel was on sea trials near the Castellamare di Stabia shipyard.

Yesterday, Radio Canada journalist M-F Tremblay tweeted a picture of the ship on sea trials and said its delivery in would not be before April “in the best case.” The ship was originally scheduled to arrive in Canada in January.

What seems to have prompted the over-optimistic reports is a press release from the supplier of the vessel’s dynamic positioning system. Seems you can’t believe everything you read in press releases.