Wärtsilä propulsion for new hybrid tug

Wärtsilä will supply its advanced thruster solution for a new hybrid tug being built to operate in the port of Xiamen in China. The Wärtsilä thrusters selected have been especially designed for electric propulsion and support the sustainability requirements of the vessel. The tug is under construction for Xiamen Port Shipping at the Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding yard. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in June by Shanghai CSIC Marine Propulsion Equipment, the integrator for the newbuild project.

The port in Xiamen is an important deep water harbor in China’s Xiamen Fujian province. The 5000 hp tug is 38.3 metres long and is scheduled to enter operational service in 2023. The Wärtsilä equipment will be delivered in Q1 2023.

The project specifications emphasized emissions reduction and energy savings. The tug will operate with two Wärtsilä WST18FP-L steerable thrusters.

“Decarbonization is central to Wärtsilä’s design strategy, and the WST thrusters reflects the innovative development of our main propulsion systems supporting this strategy,” said Lauri Tiainen, director Thrusters and Propulsion Control Systems at Wärtsilä. “We are also able to support the customer with local production, engineering and after sales in China which makes Wärtsilä a great choice for the full lifecycle of the tug boats. I am very pleased that Xiamen Port, Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and Shanghai CSIC selected us as a partner for this industry’s future milestone project.”

The Wärtsilä WST18FP-L thrusters are engineered to provide strong thrust on bollard pull and transit speed performance. The WST series has eight thruster types, ranging from 700 to 3300 kW.