Wärtsilä dual-fuel solution to drive the world’s most powerful cutter dredger

The world’s most powerful cutter dredger and the first to be fuelled by LNG, will rely on Wärtsilä propulsion solutions

The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply a comprehensive package of engines and propulsion machinery for a new Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD) vessel. When delivered, the ‘Spartacus’, which is being built on behalf of Belgium based Dredging International (DEME), will be the world’s most powerful CSD and the first ever to be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). It is being built at the Royal IHC yard in the Netherlands. The order with Wärtsilä, worth around 20 MEUR, was booked in the fourth quarter of 2016.

The 164 metre long vessel will have a total installed power of 44,180 kW. It will feature four 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel engines, two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines, and a Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel gas storage and supply system with a newly designed bilobe tank arrangement. Wärtsilä will also supply two fixed pitch propellers with shaft assemblies and HP nozzles, and two tunnel thrusters, as well as commissioning, site supervision, and extended project management services. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard during the fourth quarter of 2017.

“Wärtsilä has worked in close cooperation with the owners starting from the early stages of this large project. This has enabled a well engineered and fully integrated propulsion arrangement, and an LNG fuel system that is optimised for the needs of the vessel,” says Arthur Boogaard, General Manager, Business Development Special Vessels at Wärtsilä.

“Wärtsilä has provided excellent support throughout the design phase, and we are confident that this results in a highly efficient CSD with lower operating costs than would have been otherwise possible. We are very aware of our environmental responsibilities, and for this reason we have opted for Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines running on clean burning LNG fuel,” says Jan Gabriel, Head of newbuilding and conversion department at DEME.

The ‘Spartacus’ is expected to be delivered to the customer in mid-2019 and will operate in different locations around the world. CSDs are able to dredge nearly all kinds of soils, including sand, clay and rock. They are used wherever the ground is too hard for conventional dredgers to operate.

DEME is a long-standing customer of Wärtsilä and has, in recent years, utilised Wärtsilä solutions for numerous vessels, including three hopper dredgers, a cable installation vessel, an offshore construction vessel, as well as the ‘Spartacus’ CSD.

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