Wärtsilä Wins Fourth LNG Order From Ferry Company

Wärtsilä will provide a fourth integrated system consisting of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, dual-fuel engines, and electrical propulsion system for a Salish Class ferry.

Three similar ferries, all operating on Wärtsilä engines fueled by LNG, have already been delivered to Vancouver, Canada-based BC Ferries. As with the previous three ferries, Remontowa Shipbuilding (RSB), located in Gdansk, Poland, will also build this latest ship.

“The very best endorsement of customer satisfaction is repeat orders, and this latest contract further strengthens the partnership between our three companies. The decision by BC Ferries to again select RSB as the yard, and to opt for Wärtsilä’s proven and well-established LNG propulsion technology, provides clear confirmation of the efficiency of Wärtsilä’s integrated solution concept. It also shows that the performance of the vessel provided by the Wärtsilä solution, and based on the design by Remontowa Marine Design and Consulting (RMDC), delivers great operational benefits to the owner,” says Wilco van der Linden, director of Business Development, Ferry Industry at Wärtsilä.

The Wärtsilä scope of supply includes three 20DF dual-fuel engines operating on LNG, a LNGPac fuel storage, supply and control system, and the Low Loss Concept (LLC). The LLC is a power distribution system designed to deliver higher efficiency, less weight and volume, and high system redundancy.

The 20DF has a bore and stroke of 200X280 mm and offers 185 kW/cyl. The engine comes in six, eight and nine-cylinder variants.

The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard in Q3 this year.

The 107-m long Salish Class ferries are designed to carry 600 passengers and crew, and up to 138 vehicles. They serve routes between the city of Vancouver and ports on Vancouver Island. In addition to the equipment for these vessels, Wärtsilä also upgraded two of BC Ferries’ larger Spirit Class vessels to LNG-fueled operation. This work was carried out in 2018.