Following the completion of the design package for the 15AEQ Cable ferry by CMDL and the award of the build contract to Kinetic Machine Works of Selkirk MB CMDL began work as a Resident Engineer visiting the shipyard on a regular basis throughout construction to provide comment and review of shipyard technical details.
The shipyards build strategy was to assemble the hull upright as a single module in their heated shop leaving off only the upper half of the wheelhouse to be assembled once the vessel had been rolled outside. The vessel was transported through town to a staging area on the river bank where final outfit was completed and the vessel was launched.
After dock trials and the incline were complete the 15AEQ ferry was towed from the dock in Selkirk and began its nearly 500km journey to Norway House in September 2017. After traveling North along the Red River with a brief layover at Gull Harbor the vessel then had to be portaged around a set of rapids prior to arriving at the Sea Falls-Norway House Crossing on Highway 373.
On October 18th 2017 the highway was shut down while the existing ferry the C F James Apetagon was disconnected from the cables and moved aside making way for the new C F Gilbert Laugher. Once the Laugher was successfully installed on the cables the afternoon was spent conducting initial crossing trails before opening the route back up to traffic that evening.
The vessel operated until winter freeze up when it is replaced by an ice road crossing. Prior to the start of next operating season in the spring the shipyard will be up at the vessel closing out final deficiencies and getting it ready for the 2018 operating season.