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The first gas-powered passenger ship to be built in Italy, F-A. Gauthier, is to shortly be delivered by the Fincantieri group's Castellammare di Stabia shipyard to Canadian operator La Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ).

The 133-metre-long, 800-passenger-capacity vessel, is to be the first ferry of its type to operate in North America. It features an integrated diesel electric propulsion system, with four power generators that can run on either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or marine diesel oil.

The ship's name, F-A. Gauthier, is in honour of Félix-Adrien Gauthier, mayor of the town of Matane from 1960-1963 and founder of the Matane-Godbout ferry route.

An advanced Navis Nav DP 4000 dynamic positioning system was specified for F-A. Gauthier. The technology is designed to ensure that the vessel achieves optimum performance in the difficult navigational conditions it faces in North America's Gulf of St Lawrence.

Finland-based Navis Engineering supplied its dynamic position technology to the new ferry, which has been accorded DP (CM) notation by Lloyds Register.

Navis also supplied DP technology to the world's first LNG-powered ferry, Viking Grace, which was delivered to Viking Lines in 2012.

The F-A. Gauthier is capable of service speeds of up to 20 knots, and is scheduled to provide year-round passenger and vehicle transportation on routes linking the communities of Matane, Baie-Comeau and Godbout.

With an anticipated 1,600 sailings a year, the vessel is expected to transport over 200,000 passengers and close to 120,000 vehicles a year. The ferry has the ice class 1A, and is able to break sea ice, thanks to an innovative bow and stern, designed and patented by Fincantieri.