Three new LNG-fuelled ro-pax vessels being built for Swedish ferry operator Stena RoRo, under construction at China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard,will feature a broad scope of Wärtsilä solutions.
The vessels will operate with Wärtsilä engines and propulsion machinery when delivered in 2024 and 2025. According to Wärtsilä, having a single supplier of a large scope package provides multiple benefits in the form of system compatibility, and seamless interfacing during the procurement phase of the project. This notably lessens the risk of project delays.
Per Westling, MD Stena RoRo, said: “We are very familiar with Wärtsilä’s ability to supply reliable and highly efficient solutions in line with our operational and sustainability requirements. In particular, their experience and leading know-how in LNG technologies is especially important to us as we move to decarbonise our services.”
Ni Weisong, Vice-GM, China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard, said: “We are delighted to help Stena RoRo bring the latest new vessels in its E-Flexer series to market, and to work once again with Wärtsilä to ensure these vessels have highly efficient and environmentally sustainable propulsion.”
Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine Power, added: “We have earlier supplied a similar scope of solutions for Stena newbuild projects, and it is especially gratifying to receive this repeat order. The cooperation between our companies and with the shipyard has been excellent, and we look forward to another successful outcome.”
The vessels, each around 200m long, are part of a series of E-Flexer class ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for European line service. For each ship Wärtsilä will supply Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel main engines, Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel auxiliary engines, two gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPP), the tunnel thrusters, and the fuel gas supply system.
The use of LNG as a marine fuel is viewed by Wärtsilä as being an important transitional solution in the drive towards decarbonising shipping. LNG bridges the gap between conventional diesel fuels and future zero-carbon alternatives yet to be widely available, a decarbonisation strategy fully supported by both Wärtsilä and Stena Line.
Wärtsilä is working closely with Stena RoRo to ensure that one of the vessels meets DNV’s Silent-E class notification. This recognises that underwater noise from the vessel is controlled to protect vulnerable environments and involves careful configuration and design of propulsion and onboard equipment to offer low noise while maintaining high efficiency.
Wärtsilä will also supply the ships with Nacos navigation and automation, as well as the integrated control alarm and monitoring system MCS Platinum together with the performance monitoring system. The vessels will feature Wärtsilä’s Smart Panoramic Edge Camera System, eliminating blind spots and creating a 360°, birds-eye view of the ship surroundings, offering a significant advantage when docking. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard commencing in Q4 2022.
Stena RoRo specialises in custom-built vessels, as well as standardised ro-ro and ro-pax vessels. The company leases about 15 vessels to operators worldwide, both to other Stena companies and third parties.
