Wärtsilä Engines to Power Six 21,000 TEU Containerships

Finnish marine engine manufacturer Wärtsilä says it will be providing the engines for six 21,000 TEU containerships being built in China.

Wärtsilä announced Tuesday that it has been awarded a contract to supply a total of 24 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 Auxpac generating sets to power six ultra large containerships being built at the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard (SWS) for China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL). The order was placed in June with Wärtsilä’s joint venture company CSSC Wärtsilä Engine (Shanghai).

The company says the latest order is further proof that the Wärtsilä 32 Auxpac engine has become a popular choice for high-end containership market, most notably large container vessels with an auxiliary power need of from 2500 kWe to 4500 kWe per generating set.

In March, the engine was ordered for eight new CSCL container ships. The same engines were also ordered in 2015 for five new containerships built for China Ocean Shipping Group (COSCO), as well as a second order for another 11 new COSCO vessels – each requiring four engines.

“It is very clear that the Wärtsilä 32 Auxpac is the right choice for this segment of the market. Repeat orders are the most solid endorsement of this fact, and the engine is perfect for ships with an auxiliary power need in the 2500 kWe to 4500 kWe range,” says Stefan Wiik, Vice President, Engines, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

The Wärtsilä engines will be delivered to the yard commencing mid 2017.