Wärtsilä Propulsion Selected for World’s First LNG-Fueled High-Speed RoPax Ferry

Illustration courtesy Wärtsilä

Finnish engine manufacturer Wärtsilä says it will be providing the full propulsion package for a new LNG-fueled high-speed passenger ferry being built for Swedish operator Rederi AB Gotland.

The contract includes the complete LNG powered propulsion and fuel storage and supply system, as well as project services.

Wärtsilä says that the vessel will be the first ever high-speed RoPax ferry to run on liquified natural gas and among the first Swedish flagged passenger vessel to use LNG as its main fuel.

The vessel is being built at the Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) yard in China and is expected to operate between the Swedish mainland and the island of Gotland upon delivery in 2017.

By operating on LNG, the new 200-meter long ferry will comply with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Tier III regulations regarding emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and also meet the sulphur (SOx) emissions limitations required for operating in the Northern European sulphur emissions controlled areas (SECA). The ferry will also meet the requirements of the IMO’s recently agreed IGF Code regarding the safety of LNG fueled ships.

“This vessel will have a minimal environmental footprint and we are proud to be working with Wärtsilä to make this possible. Wärtsilä’s know-how and experience with gas fueled vessels is unmatched in the industry,” says Mr Håkan Johansson, Managing Director of Rederi AB Gotland.

Wärtsilä says that although they have worked on projects together with GSI for many years on projects, this contract marks the first project between the companies involving an LNG fueled ship.

In addition to the complete LNG powered propulsion and fuel & storage system, Wärtsilä will provide services relating to project management, integration engineering, on-site support and overall commissioning responsibility.

Wärtsilä’s scope of responsibility includes four Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines, two gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPPs) with remote control system, two Energopac rudders, two tunnel thrusters, four Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel auxiliary generating sets, two Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel gas handling systems, gas valve units, a compact silencer system (CSS), an IMO approved Wärtsilä Aquarius UV ballast water management system, an Oily Water Separator together with a Bilge Water Guard to monitor and prevent oily water being discharged to the sea, project management services, integration engineering services, commissioning services and on-site supervision during installation. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment will begin at the end of 2015 before delivery in 2017.

“Rederi AB Gotland will introduce a ground-breaking vessel design for its crown route, and Wärtsilä is proud to take a large share of the responsibility for its accomplishment. Together with Guangzhou Shipyard International in China and Danish designers OSK-Shiptech, we will realize the first of an entirely new generation of fast, yet environmentally sound RoPax ferries. Not only will Wärtsilä deliver the entire LNG fuel handling and power and propulsion system, we will also provide comprehensive project management services, such as integration engineering, on-site support and extended commissioning. We believe that this combination is a key success factor for this and other challenging ship building projects. It highlights Wärtsilä’s position as the marine industry’s leading provider of integrated solutions,” says Wilco van der Linden, Director Business Development, Merchant Cruise and Ferry at Wärtsilä Solutions.

The ship will carry approximately 1650 passengers, will have 1750 trailer lane meters and can accommodate a corresponding number of passenger cars, campers and busses. The vessel is also designed to meet the DNV-GL classification society’s high comfort ratings for climate, noise and vibrations.

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