Davie Shipbuilding, an Inocea company and Canada’s largest shipyard, has delivered the first LNG-powered ferry to be built in North America. This pioneering ferry can be powered entirely by LNG, the cleanest fossil fuel known to mankind, and will enter service for Société des traversiers du Québec.
Delivering this prototype has taken years of work by Davie, the designers and the classification society, who have had to develop construction and operations rules and regulations during the construction in order to cater for this new type of propulsion system.
James Davies, President of Davie, thanked Premier Couillard and his government for their cooperation and sheer determination to make Québec a shipbuilding industry leader and a province at the forefront of green marine technologies. He added, “We are very proud to have delivered the highest quality product which has now passed all testing with flying colours and we have done it at an internationally competitive price.”
Alex Vicefield, CEO of Inocea, also commented, “Having integrated LNG propulsion into this ice-class ferry, we will now be looking at how LNG can power other classes of icebreakers – ships which operate in some of the most sensitive ecosystems on the planet.”
The Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) says the NM Armand-Imbeau II will, in the fall, improve the performance of the Tadoussac-Baie-Sainte-Catherine ferry crossing, the largest in Québec in terms of transported vehicles, and at the same time, reduce passenger waiting. The delivery of a second similar vessel to the same crossing, NM Jos-Deschênes II, is scheduled for the fall. They will replace NM Armand-Imbeau, NM Jos-Deschênes and NM Félix-Antoine-Savard.
NM Armand Imbeau II facts
- Dual-fuel, able to operate almost entirely using Liquefied Natural Gas
- Icebreaking capability, able to operate year round on the St. Lawrence river
- A key indicator of complexity: Over 6,800 inputs / outputs into the main automation system (versus 3,500 for a naval and roughly 6,000 for a semi-submersible offshore drilling rig)
- Highly automated for use by a smaller crew
- Fully automated safety shutdown systems for gas safety, more comprehensive than an offshore drilling platform
LNG facts
- The combustion of LNG does not emit soot, dust or fumes
- LNG emits 90% less nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than conventional diesel
- LNG emits 100% less Sulphur (SO2) and fine particle emissions
Sources: Chantier Davie Canada Inc. and Société des traversiers du Québec
