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MV Apollo crashes into Quebec dock just weeks after it left Labrador

There's a three-foot by six-foot hole in the Apollo's hull, according to a spokesperson for Quebec's provincial ferries.

The former Labrador Marine ferry was replaced by the MV Qajaq in late January

The NM Apollo's hull was damaged when it was docking in Godbout, on Quebec's North Shore. (Submitted by Michael Labrie-Bacon)

There's a hole approximately three feet by six feet wide in the hull of the MV Apollo after it smashed into a dock in Godbout, Que., Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for Quebec's provincial ferries.

The crash came mere weeks after it was replaced by the MV Qajaq in Labrador and sold for $2.1 million to la Société des traversiers du Québec to service its routes between Matane in the Gaspé region and Baie-Comeau and Godbout on Quebec's North Shore.

"We're feeling right now kind of unlucky," said Alexandre Lavoie, an STQ spokesperson. 

"Fortunately, there was no one injured and all the passengers were able to leave the ship normally."

The Apollo was built in 1970 and came to Labrador in 1999 from the Baltic Sea.

The ferry was with Labrador Marine for nearly 20 years, servicing its runs in the Strait of Belle Isle between St. Barbe and Blanc-Sablon. The MV Qajaq took over the job in late January.

Lavoie said there is a team from STQ en route to Godbout to assess the damage to ship's hull.

In the meantime, crossings on its route are cancelled until further notice, he said.

"We will notify our clients as soon as possible for what will happen in the next days. We're trying to find alternative transportation so that people will be impacted as little as possible."

Lavoie said the cause of the incident is under investigation.

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