Finnish technology group Wartsila says it will supply the engines and other propulsion machinery for a new offshore construction vessel powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) that is being built at the Cosco shipyard in China.
According to the company, this will be the first vessel of its kind to be fueled by LNG. In addition to the dual-fuel engines, Wartsila will also provide its LNGPac fuel storage and supply system and propulsion systems.
As reported, the orders with Wartsila were booked in the fourth quarter of 2016 and in February 2017.
“The decision to utilize clean-burning LNG fuel represents our commitment to provide environmentally sustainable solutions for our operations. Wartsila has extensive experience and vast technological know-how in this field, which is why we have selected them as our partner in this project,” says Jan Gabriel, head of newbuilding and conversion department at Dredging International, the ship owner.
“We are pleased to have been involved in this newbuild project from the conceptual design stage, since this enables our input on providing the most fuel-efficient solution. We are also delighted that the Wartsila 46DF engine has been selected, as the dual-fuel version of this well-proven and popular engine has only recently been introduced,” says Arthur Boogaard, general manager for business development in special vessels at Wartsila.
This 210-meter-long vessel, the ‘Orion’, will be powered by four nine-cylinder Wartsila 46DF dual-fuel electric propulsion engines and two six-cylinder Wartsila 20DF dual-fuel engines. Wartsila will also supply two custom-made retractable thrusters, four underwater demountable thrusters, the Wartsila LNGPac storage and supply system, as well as commissioning, site supervision and extended project management services.
The Wartsila equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard in the latter part of 2017.
The Orion is expected to be delivered to the owners in 2018 and will undertake operations involving the installation of offshore wind farms in locations around the world.
