Wärtsilä puts engines into action in newbuild vessels

The Polar Icebreaker is being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. (Photo: Seaspan Shipyards)

Technology group Wärtsilä has recently reported on three separate newbuild vessel orders utilizing its engines, including its largest methanol newbuild order.

Multiple Wärtsilä 31 four-stroke engines will be used to power the Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker, a 158-meter-long multi-mission vessel being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards that will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. The vessel will operate under PC2 conditions with four 16-cylinder and two eight-cylinder Wärtsilä 31 engines delivering 47 MW of power and fitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for IMO Tier III environmental compliance.

“The fuel efficiency of the Wärtsilä 31 engine was a determining factor in the award of this prestigious contract. However, equally important was our project delivery experience and service support across Canada. Furthermore, our previous cooperation with both the Canadian Coast Guard and Seaspan has been very successful, and we are honored to be again working with them,” said Simon Riddle, general manager, Naval Sales, Wärtsilä.

The company recently delivered the propulsion equipment for the Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV), plus the diesel generator sets for the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) built at Seaspan for the Canadian Coast Guard, noted Leo Martin, Senior Vice President – Programs, Seaspan Shipyards.

In addition to the engines, Wärtsilä will supply the center shaft line with a stainless-steel ice-class propeller, as well as its NACOS Platinum navigation system. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard in 2025.

The Wärtsilä 25 will power the new 44-meter-long stern trawler owned by Faroe Island operator Vardin. (Photo: Vardin)

Fishing vessels for Faroe Islands

The Wärtsilä 25 medium-speed 4-stroke marine engine will be used to a new 44-meter-long stern trawler being built for Faroe Islands operator Vardin, as well as two fishing vessels jointly owned by Vardin and fellow Faroe Island operator, Framherji.

The engine model has a modular system that enables an easy upgrade for operating with future low or zero carbon fuels, as they become available. It is offered in cylinder configurations from 6L to 9L and with a power output ranging from 1.7 to3.4 MW, suitable for use either as a main propulsion or auxiliary engine. It is available in diesel and dual-fuel versions and will also be Wärtsilä’s first 4-stroke ammonia-fueled marine engine.

The engine will allow Vardin to reduce vessel fuel consumption and emissions from the first mile, while providing the readiness to run on alternative fuels whenever viable. All engines will also be fitted with an SCR system to support emissions abatement.

Wärtsilä’s ammonia-fueled four-stroke engine First commercially available four-stroke engine-based solution for ammonia fuel announced

“The selection of a Wärtsilä 25 engine reflects our pursuit of a perfect balance between reliability, efficiency, lifecycle operating costs and sustainability,” said Sámal Joensen, CTO at Vardin. “Its advanced technology and reliable performance, combined with environmentally friendly features and fuel efficiency, as well as its readiness to operate with alternative fuels in the future, have made it the preferred choice for our future operations.”

The equipment is scheduled for delivery during the first quarter of 2025.

Methanol power for Chinese container vessels

The Wärtsilä 32M methanol-fueled engine has received type approval certificates from several classification societies around the world. (Photo: Wärtsilä Corp.)

Wärtsilä will supply the methanol-fueled auxiliary engines for five new container vessels for COSCO Shipping Lines Co., Ltd. and seven new container vessels for Orient Overseas Container Line. Each vessel will operate with three eight-cylinder and two six-cylinder Wärtsilä 32M engines. This is the Chinese maritime sector’s largest order to date for methanol-fueled newbuild vessels.

The ships will be equipped with SCR exhaust cleaning systems and alternators supplied through Wärtsilä’s joint venture company, CWEC (Shanghai) Company Ltd.

“With decarbonization a major priority for the maritime industry, sustainable fuels, such as methanol, will play a vital role in helping shipping to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,” said Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä Marine and executive vice president at Wärtsilä Corp.

The Orient Overseas Container Line’s 24,000 TEU ships are to be built at the Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering yard, and the COSCO Shipping Lines’ 24,000 TEU ships at the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering yard. The vessels are expected to commence commercial operations in 2026.

Wärtsilä to add four methanol marine engines Company is also developing retrofit capabilities for existing engine models