When we stay on an isolated island in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, maritime transport is at the heart of our daily lives.
Whether it is to access the mainland, stock up on goods, export local products or transport visitors, the local CTMA cooperative has been providing essential services to the Magdalen Islands community for over 75 years. Safety and reliability are the watchwords for accomplishing such a mission.
For Philippe Hébert, 33 years old and at the controls of the CTMA engine room Traveler 2the cargo ship that provides a weekly link between the archipelago and the metropolis, the feeling of belonging and pride in serving the community is very strong: “ Every week we go to sea with empty trailers and we come back with lots of goods, food, wood, everything we need on the Islands. We are at the heart of supplying our community and that makes me really proud. When we were younger, we did not realize this impact, today I understand the importance of our maritime link provided by the CTMA. »
The CTMA can count on a renewed fleet of ships to carry out its mission. In addition to its maritime service between Montreal and the Islands, the cooperative operates a road fleet of trucks, thus offering a complete transportation service. A ferry service between the Madelinot archipelago and Prince Edward Island and a dredging and towing subsidiary are also part of the cooperative’s main activities. With nearly 350 employees and generating local economic spinoffs of more than $73 million per year, the CTMA is at the heart
CTMA in brief*: (*per year)
77,506 tonnes of goods transported
121,550 passengers transported by ferry
53,314 m3 of dredged sand