LNG For Construction Vessel

Wärtsilä announced it will supply the engines and propulsion machinery for a new offshore construction vessel being built for Belgian operator Dredging International (DEME) at the Cosco shipyard in China. This will be the first vessel of its kind to be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Wärtsilä said, and in addition to the dual-fuel engines, the company will provide its LNGPac fuel storage and supply system and propulsion systems. The orders 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,” said Jan Gabriel, head of the new building and conversion department at DEME. “Wärtsilä has extensive experience and vast technological know-how in this field, which is why we have selected them as our partner in this project.”

The 210 m long vessel  Orion will be powered by four nine-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel electric propulsion engines and two six-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines. Wärtsilä will also supply two custom retractable thrusters, four underwater demountable thrusters, the Wärtsilä LNGPac storage and supply system, as well as commissioning, site supervision and extended project management services. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard in the latter part of this year.

“We are pleased to have been involved in this new build project from the conceptual design stage, since this enables our input on providing the most fuel efficient solution,” said Arthur Boogaard, General Manager, Business Development Special Vessels at Wärtsilä. “We are also delighted that the Wärtsilä 46DF engine has been selected, as the dual-fuel version of this well proven and popular engine has only recently been introduced.”

The Orion is expected to be delivered to the owners in 2018 and will undertake operations involving the installation of offshore windfarms in locations around the world.

DEME is a long-standing customer of Wärtsilä and has, in recent years, utilized Wärtsilä propulsion systems for a number of vessels, including three hopper dredgers, a cable installation vessel and a cutter suction dredger vessel.

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