Hapag-Lloyd, the leading container shipping line by volume serving the Canadian market, has added the 4,045 TEU Quebec Express as the fourth vessel on its weekly St Lawrence Coordinated Service 2 (AT2), which connects Montreal with Southampton, United Kingdom; Antwerp, Belgium; and Hamburg, Germany. The vessel arrived in Montreal on December 14 at Racine Terminal, operated by Montreal Gateway Terminals Partnership.
Previously known as the Longavi, the vessel has been renamed for the Province of Quebec as part of Hapag-Lloyd’s tradition of naming ships after the markets it serves.
“We are extremely pleased that our long-time partner Hapag-Lloyd has added this fourth vessel to its AT2 service,” Ms. Vachon said. “This ship further solidifies Hapag-Lloyd’s service reliability and its commitment to the Port of Montreal.
By the same token, the vessel’s new name tips its hat to the first-ever Quebec Maritime Strategy. The timing could not be more perfect given the provincial government’s commitment to support the marine industry with more than $1.5 billion in investments and sustainably develop the marine economy.”
“We are confident that the Port of Montreal and Hapag-Lloyd will continue to flourish in the years to come in tandem with the Maritime Strategy”, added Ms. Vachon.
“The vessel name was chosen to show our close dedication to this trade,” said Wolfgang Schoch, Hapag-Lloyd’s Managing Director for Canada. “Hapag-Lloyd has a longstanding tie to the Province of Quebec and the Montreal Gateway. Our naming of the ship shows our long-term determination to be a relevant player in this trade. We are also very pleased that the Province of Quebec has dedicated a serious push to its new Maritime Strategy, which to us is an important step in the right direction.”
Built in 2006, the Quebec Express is 267m long and 32m wide. It has been sailing the German flag since the end of September.