Baltic Sea ferry gets Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines

The new RoPax ferry on order for Estonia’s Tallink Grupp will feature Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines, running primarily on LNG.

The ship, which will service the company’s Tallin-Helsinki route, is to be built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The ferry is scheduled to be in operation from the beginning of 2017.

IMO legislation

Using the Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines, the ship will comply with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) latest sulfur emissions legislation, which came into force on 1 January 2015.

The Baltic Sea is designated as a sulfur Emissions Control Area (SECA). When operating in gas mode, the sulfur oxide (SOx) and particle emissions from the Wärtsilä engines are negligible. Furthermore, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are at least 85% below those specified in the current IMO regulations, and CO₂ emissions are approximately 25% less than those of a conventional marine engine running on diesel fuel.

The full scope of supply includes three 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF and two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF main engines, as well as two Wärtsilä fixed pitch propellers and propeller shaft lines. The equipment will be delivered to the yard in early 2016.

Marine solution

"The ferry will operate at fairly high speed and to very tight schedules. It is, therefore, important to the customer that the main engine propulsion is highly efficient and extremely reliable. Wärtsilä's extensive track record is proof of our ability to meet these criteria. At the same time, we are the leading supplier of gas fuelled solutions to the marine industry and this was another reason for being awarded this important contract," commented Mika Ojutkangas, General Manager, Sales, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

"The Wärtsilä engines are more energy efficient and thus consume less fuel, and for a next generation environmentally sustainable ferry that is what we were especially looking for," added Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik, Head of Shipmanagement of AS Tallink Grupp.

The new 212 m long ferry will have a gross tonnage of 49 000 and will carry 2800 passengers.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/12032015/dual-fuel-engines-for-tallink-grupp-ferry-408/