Canadian shipbuilder Davie laid keel on Feb. 26 for MV Armand-Imbeau II, the first of two LNG-powered sister-ships being built for the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ).

The two ferries for the Tadoussac‒Baie-Sainte-Catherine route are built for year-round navigation on the Saguenay Fjord.

Measuring 92 meters in length, each ship will include eight rows on two decks, enabling the transport of up to 110 vehicles, including tractor-trailers.

Instead of a conventional propulsion system, each ship uses electric thrusters. The MV Armand-Imbeau II is scheduled for delivery in fall 2015 followed by the MV Jos-Deschênes II, four months later.

"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," explained STQ’s CEO Mr. Jocelyn Fortier.

"It is Davie's ability to constantly deliver on time and to budget that lead to Davie being voted as North America's number one shipyard at the Lloyd's List North American Maritime Awards 2015, last week in Houston," said Mr. Alan Bowen, Davie's CEO.

"The STQ ferries incorporate many of the technologies in which we specialize for example LNG propulsion, electrical thruster systems and high ice-class hulls," he added.