Gaz Métro and the Port of Montreal have joined efforts in developing an LNG supply system that will be operated by a Gaz Métro unit.
The LNG supply system will be available to all shipowners in Québec, including the fleets passing through the Port of Montreal, Gaz Métro said in its statement.
The decision to develop an LNG bunkering system followed the inauguration of the M/T Damia Desgagnés, the very first Groupe Desgagnés vessel capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Gaz Métro and the Port of Montreal hope that the availability of LNG supply solutions will be a first step in encouraging shipowners to move toward LNG as a fuel for maritime transport in Québec and Canada.
Damia Desgagnés asphalt-bitumen-chemical tanker was built by the Besiktas shipyard located in Yalova near Istanbul, Turkey. Québecc-based Transport Desgagnés took delivery of the vessel at the end of March.
Double-hulled, the vessel is equipped with a Wärtsila 5RT-flex 50DF engine developing a power output of 5,450 kW. It can be powered by any of three types of fuel, namely heavy fuel oil, marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG).