STX Finland Signs Agreement for Dual Fuel Offshore Patrol Vessel *UPDATE*

STX Finland Oy and the Finnish Border Guard signed an agreement on construction of a next generation offshore patrol vessel. The vessel will be built at the STX Rauma ship­yard and delivered to the customer in November 2013. The highly advanced vessel will be 96 metres long and 17 meters wide and will be capable of serving a large variety of functions. Construction of the vessel will bring over 400 man-years of labour to STX Rauma shipyard person­nel and its supplier network. The domestic content of the project is estimated to be 90%.

The main duty of the offshore patrol vessel is to operate in open sea patrol. In addition to ensuring border safety and serving defence purposes, the vessel will be used for other functions such as prevention of environmental damage, search and rescue, and different underwater assignments.

The vessel will use the latest technologies and environmentally friendly innovations. She is equipped with machinery using liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine diesel as fuel. The vessel is capable of operating in Baltic Sea ice conditions. The requirements of energy efficiency and safe operation of the vessel in different acci­dent situations have been taken extensively into account in the design of this environmentally friendly ves­sel.

“This order is very important for STX Finland and the Rauma shipyard. “The building of this ship offers us excellent opportunities for implementation and further development of environmentally friendly technolo­gies,” says Timo Suistio, EVP & COO of STX Finland Oy and Director of STX Rauma Shipyard. “Ships built for the Finnish Border Guard and Navy are an important part of STX Finland’s continuous develop­ment and introduction of new technologies,” Suistio adds.

In a conversation with gCaptain this morning, Mr. Suistio, adds,

The engines on board this vessel will be supplied by Wartsila, and are dual fuel-type engines meaning they burn both LNG and diesel fuel simultaneously.  The LNG port infrastructure in Finland, and throughout the Baltic Sea, is still in development, and for the immediate future, the fuel will be transported via truck for in-port refueling.

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