Société des traversiers du Québec

The ferry Félix-Antoine-Savard docked at Matane, Quebec, coming from Baie-Comeau, on the St. Lawrence River in 2006

The ferry Alphonse-Desjardins operating between Quebec City, Quebec and Lévis on the St. Lawrence River

The ferry Camille-Marcoux at dock

The ferry Trans-St-Laurent between Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Siméon

The Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) is a ferry company which has operated some intra-provincial ferry services in Quebec since 1971. It is a crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec.[1]

STQ operates the following services:

• Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola to Sorel-Tracy, crossing the St. Lawrence River with two ships, the Catherine-Legardeur and the Lucien-L.
• Lévis to Quebec City, crossing the St. Lawrence River with two twin vessels, Alphonse-Desjardins and Lomer-Gouin.
• Tadoussac to Baie-Sainte-Catherine, crossing the Saguenay River with three ships, the Armand-Imbeau and the Jos-Deschênes all year long and the Félix-Antoine-Savard in the summer.
• Matane to Baie-Comeau and Godbout, crossing the St. Lawrence River with one ship, the Saaremaa I,[2] which replaced the F.-A.-Gauthier, when that ferry was taken out of service due to engine issues.[3] The MV F.-A.-Gauthier had replaced Camille-Marcoux in 2015. The F.-A.-Gauthier is the first ferry in North American service powered by liquified natural gas.[4]
• L'Isle-aux-Coudres to Les Éboulements, crossing the St. Lawrence River with two vessels, the Joseph-Savard and the Radisson.
• Chevery to Harrington Harbour, with Mécatina II.[5]

The following services are operated in partnership with another company:

• Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues to Montmagny crossing the St. Lawrence River with one ship, the Grues-des-Îles
• Rivière-du-Loup to Saint-Siméon crossing the St. Lawrence River with one ship, the Trans-St-Laurent.
• Île-d'Entrée to Cap-aux-Meules connecting two islands of the Magdalen Islands with one vessel, the Ivan-Quinn, built in 2009.[6]

New construction

On January 12, 2010, the corporation announced the signing of contracts for three new ferries. Concept Naval of Quebec City and STX Canada designed two ferries which would replace the existing ferries on the Tadoussac - Baie Sainte-Catherine route, the Armand-Imbeau and Jos-Deschênes. These ferries were under construction at Chantier Davie Canada in Lévis, Quebec. As of May 2018, the new ferries had not entered service and their projected cost had more than doubled the original estimate. One ferry was projected to enter service in Summer 2018 and the other in Fall 2018.[7]

The company Navtech Deltamarin (a joint venture of Navtech and Deltamarin Group), also of Quebec City, contracted to build the ferry which replaced the Camille-Marcoux on the Matane – Baie-Comeau – Godbout route. This vessel was constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. All three new ferries are to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).[8]

See also

• Compagnie de gestion de Matane
• Roll-on/roll-off

References

1. "Des pourparlers fructueux" (in French). Radio-Canada. April 23, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
2. "MV Saaremaa I". Retrieved 7 April 2022.
3. Gordon, Sean. "A collision with a dock is the latest incident in a dismal year for Quebec's ferry corporation". CBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
4. "F.A.-Gauthier: The Newest Fleet Member of the Société des traversiers du Québec". Québec by the Sea. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
5. "Traverse Chevery-Harrington Harbour - Début du service du N.M. Mécatina II" (in French). Société des traversiers du Québec. May 12, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
6. "NM Ivan-Quinn". Société des traversiers du Québec. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
7. "Nouveau retard et hausse de coût pour les traversiers de Tadoussac". Radio-Canada. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
8. Wanamaker, Glenn (22 July 2017). "Is Quebec City's troubled Davie shipyard making a comeback?". CBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Official website (in French)