69 Greta Bédard joined STQ in 2001 and became the organisation’s first female leader in 2023 Photo: credit representing a throughput of some two million passengers, are free of charge. As we operate 24/7 for 365 days per year, reliability is paramount. That’s why a dependable and robust ferry service, as well as proper port infrastructure, are essential in our strategic plans, the next of which will be launched in April 2025.” When Bédard was appointed the company’s leader just over two years ago, she also implemented her own 2023-2026 strategic plan in parallel with the company’s five-year plan. Called Horizon 2026, it focuses on the service element, human resources and public affairs. “We are omnipresent in the province and are part of the Quebec community. Therefore, we have to act responsibly, especially when it comes to the environment,” she says, adding that the company was one of the cofounders of Green Marine, the leading environmental certification programme for North America’s maritime industry. STQ introduced its first LNG-powered ferry, the Fincantieri-built F.-A.-Gauthier, in 2015. The flagship of the STQ fleet was the first LNG dual-fuel ro-pax ferry in North America and was followed three years later by the smaller, locally built open-deck Armand-Imbeau II and Jos-Deschênes II. However, the introduction of F.-A.-Gauthier was marred by a number of setbacks which affected the reliability of the single-ship Matane to Baie-Comeau and Godbout routes on which it operated. To guarantee continuity, STQ purchased a secondhand vessel in the form of the double-ender Saaremaa, which was subsequently renamed Saaremaa I when joining STQ in spring 2019. Saaremaa I now operates as a relief vessel and has added redundancy to STQ’s ferry system, enabling it to offer as reliable a service as possible. F.-A.-Gauthier, Armand-Imbeau II and Jos-Deschênes II will continue using LNG as primary fuel source for the rest of their life in the STQ fleet, but as the older generation of vessels is gradually phased out, they will be replaced by new hybrid-electric ships. STQ already has a three-ship newbuild project on the table. “We will also consider biofuel for existing ships and might equally retrofit some of them with batteries to warrant “ Our first mission is to serve the local community and the islands”
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