Transboréal Cruise Inc. (TCI) of Québec has selected Kvaerner Masa Marine (KMM), a naval architecture and marine engineering consulting company in Vancouver and its parent company, the cruise ship giant, Kvaerner Masa Yards (KMY) in Finland to prepare the design for two new passenger/vehicle cruise ferries. The vessels will be designed for year round operation on the St. Lawrence Seaway and the waters of Canada’s East Coast.

TCI recently signed a contract with KMY in Finland for development of general arrangement and hull form for the two vessels. KMM with offices in Vancouver and Annapolis, Maryland, will be responsible for the preparation of preliminary and contract design packages required for Regulatory Body approval and Shipyard construction cost estimates.

The vessels, when built, will be about 190m in length with a breadth of 28m in order to accommodate 1000 passengers and approximately 3000 lane-meters for vehicles on its seven decks. The vessel’s upper decks will provide facilities that include fine dining, entertainment, retail stores and comfortable overnight accommodation. The two, lower decks being arranged to facilitate the transportation of cars, trucks and tractor-trailers.

A contract for the construction of the two cruise ships valued at around US$440M, may very well be awarded to a Canadian shipyard by year’s end. It is estimated that this contract would provide employment for up to 1500 people for the next 2 years.