Montréal, May 18, 2017 – In the wake of the inauguration of M/T Damia Desgagnés, the very first Groupe Desgagnés vessel able to be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), President and Chief Executive Officer of Gaz Métro, Sophie Brochu, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), Sylvie Vachon, praise Groupe Desgagnés’ leadership and vision. By acquiring four vessels able to comply with the most stringent environmental standards, Groupe Desgagnés positions itself as a pioneer in its category for the development of LNG as a fuel for maritime transport in Québec and Canada.
In response to this desire to opt for an eco-friendly fuel, Gaz Métro and the Port of Montreal also announce that an LNG supply solution for marine fuel will now be available at the Port of Montreal. Groupe Desgagnés, Gaz Métro and the Port of Montreal joined efforts in developing an LNG supply system that will be operated by a Gaz Métro subsidiary. This system will be available to all shipowners in Quebec, including the fleets passing through the Port of Montreal. In short, this is an important milestone for the entire maritime transport sector.
“I would like to commend the leadership and vision of Groupe Desgagnés, which was the first commercial shipowner to order vessels destined to navigate in Québec able to use LNG as marine fuel. Québec can be proud to have Groupe Desgagnés among its visionary companies, as was the Société des traversiers du Québec. LNG is currently one of the best solutions available to replace petroleum products in the maritime sector, due to its environmental assets. In particular, it respects new Canadian and international maritime transportation standards that aim to minimize the emission of air pollutants [NOx and SOx],” said Sophie Brochu.
“I praise Groupe Desgagnés’ forward thinking, which is very inspiring for Québec’s maritime industry,” emphasized Sylvie Vachon. “The Port of Montreal shares this vision to exercise positive leadership in sustainable development practices and, in this context, the LNG fuel supply solution that will be available on our docks is another significant and concrete action toward making commercial shipping even more environmentally friendly.”
Gaz Métro and the Port of Montreal hope that the availability of LNG supply solutions will be a first step in encouraging shipowners to follow the lead taken by Groupe Desgagnés and, in turn, move toward this efficient, cost-effective and clean option.
