The 133m LNG-fuelled ferry »F.-A.-Gauthier« has sailed from Italy’s Fincantieri Castellammare di Stabia shipyard. According to Fincantieri[ds_preview] it will be the first LNG-powered ferry to operate in North America, when delivered.
The vessel is the first in a series of gas-fuelled vessels built to Lloyd’s Register (LR) class for the Canadian operator Societé des Traversiers du Quebec (STQ). With a capacity for 800 passengers and 180 vehicles, the ship is also the first LNG-powered ferry to be built in Italy.
The vessel, which is fitted with an ultra-compliant, low emission dual-fuel LNG and diesel system, will enter service at Matane in the Canadian province of Quebec. It should begin carrying passengers in July, once STQ personnel have completed the necessary preparation work. »This hi-tech vessel meets all the maximum standards to deal with environmental pollution and is also certified as ice class in compliance with an integrated bridge system notation as well as a dynamic propulsion system«, said Claudio Percivale, LR’s Senior Surveyor in Charge for the project.
