Wartsila Scores A Goal!

In a landmark news, Helsinki-based Wartsila and a leader in smart technologies has won an order to supply dual-fuel engines for six new LNG 172 500m3 LNG carrier vessels. 

The from Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, is for to Russia’s Arctic waters and is valued as a multi-million-dollar deal. An option for a further four ships which is current. 

“This is a major new-build project, and we were able to propose a technical solution that ensures clear benefits and cost savings for the customer.” Östen Lindell, Sales Director, East Asia & China of Wärtsilä Marine Power was quoted as saying to LNG Industry. 

Each vessel will be fitted with six Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel engines, plus gas valve units and auxiliaries. Deliveries are to commence soon. 

The Wartsila 46 dual fuel (DF) is a four-stroke dual-fuel engine that can be run on natural gas, heavy fuel oil (HFO) or marine diesel oil. 

The engine can smoothly switch from gas fuel to HFO/MDO operation and vice versa without loss of power or speed. The Wärtsilä 46DF design is based on the well proven and reliable Wärtsilä 46F and Wärtsilä 50DF engine families, which have operated successfully on the market since the early 2000s, said the company over its website. Both engines have an outstanding track record, with more than 800 engines in operation and over 11 million running hours experience using Wärtsilä’s leading DF technology.

Owing largely to its fuel flexibility and the modular, compact design, the engine is IMO Tier III Compliant, has the lowest gas fuel consumption in the industry, low fuel oil consumption in the industry, a powerful 4-stroke gas engine on the market and fuel flexibility amongst its other attributes. 

It also has long overhaul intervals, low exhaust gas emissions -something that appeals to ship owners – low gas feed pressure, an embedded automation system that can be optimised for constant speed diesel electric operation.

It also meets the need for direct drive main engine propulsion, operating at either constant speed or along a combinator curve. The multi-fuel operation capability offers new machinery opportunities for various vessel applications.

Wärtsilä’s proven dual-fuel technology, according to its website announcement, enables owners and operators to choose both gas and liquid fuel, and switch between the two according to cost, availability, and local environmental regulations. The switch between fuel types is made without loss of power or speed. The engine automation adapts automatically to the relevant fuel selection, both in normal and emergency modes.

High Performance and Efficiency Matters. 

Dual-fuel engines are much sought after in today’s clean fuel conscious shipping world.

At a glance, these are devices run on both gaseous and liquid fuels and enables a ship’s engines to be operated on either natural gas, light fuel oil or HFO. Fuel switching is without ‘kinks’ during operation, without loss of power or speed.

Yet it must be said that it is not just Wartsila hogging all the limelight. 

MAN Fuel Engine Solutions is perhaps in the same league as Wartsila, or close to it. Taken up by what Wartsila has pulled off, its dual-fuel engines have the same high performance and efficiency properties.

Like Wartsila’s 46DF, its main advantage lies in dual fuel technology is fuel flexibility. That makes it possible to take advantage of the low cost and superior environmental benefits offered by gas. Even if gas fuel is disrupted, the engine can continue operating using liquid fuel. 

Its dual fuel engines also run, on liquid biofuel or distillates like marine diesel oil (MDO), marine gas oil (MGO), crude oil and heavy fuel oil (HFO). Dual fuel engines from MAN Energy Solutions are known for their reliability, efficiency, performance and ability to switch between fuel sources. Even so, it’s easy to upgrade to dual fuel capability to meet changing needs.

Unquestionably, dual-fuel engines have become the toast of the industry. 

Waterfront Shipping Company Ltd. (WFS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Methanex Corporation is pleased, according to Hellenic Shipping News, to announce the addition of eight new methanol dual-fuel vessels to its fleet. 

In partnership with Marinvest/Skagerack Invest (Marinvest), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), Meiji Shipping Co., Ltd. (Meiji Shipping), KSS Line Ltd. and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), the new vessels will add to WFS’s existing fleet of 11 methanol-fuelled ships, which have been touted for their use of clean-burning methanol as a lower emission fuel. 

“We are proud that approximately 60 percent of our 30-ship fleet will be powered by lower emission, methanol-fuel technology upon delivery of this latest order,” said Paul Hexter, President, Waterfront Shipping Ltd. “Having operated methanol-fuelled vessels for over four years now, we know that methanol is a practical, cost-competitive and safe marine fuel for the commercial shipping industry in the post-IMO 2020 marketplace. We are excited to be expanding our methanol-fuelled fleet with these new vessels that benefit from the latest technological advances to optimize engine efficiency and performance.”