The first ferry in North America to run on liquified natural gas was officially commissioned in Quebec, Canada, on 15th July. The 15,901gt ferry F.-A.-Gauthier (above) is owned by the Société des traversiers du Québec and is the first of three ships on order.

The vessel replaces the ferry Camille- Marcoux on the Matane-Baie-Comeaugodbout service operating between the cities of Matane and Baie-Comeau, located on opposing sides of the St. Lawrence River. The two other ferries will be assigned to the Tadoussac-Baie-Sainte-Catherine crossing. The F.-A.-Gauthier was built by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples, Italy) and is equipped with an integrated diesel electric propulsion system with four dual fuel diesel power generators that can run on either LNG or marine diesel oil.

At 133m long and 22m wide, the F.-A.Ggauthier has a maximum service speed of 20 knots and can accommodate 800 passengers and 180 vehicles. The vessel is also designated with an ice-strengthened hull (ice class 1a) and propulsion class 1aS, which will allow for year-round operation.