Five new Arc 7 design ice-class LNG carriers being built for the Yamal LNG project at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) yard in South Korea will be powered by a total of 30 Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines, the engine maker said in a release.
The order was placed in January with Wärtsilä’s joint venture company, Wärtsilä Hyundai Engine Co. (WHEC) who will also build the engines in South Korea.
Each of the LNG carriers will be fitted with four 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF engines and two 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF engines. The engines will primarily utilise liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, but are also capable of running on conventional marine diesel fuels.
When operating in arctic conditions, the vessels will be required to handle ambient temperatures of as much as minus 50 degrees Celsius, and to break through ice up to two metres thick.
“Altogether, Wärtsilä has been contracted within the past twelve months to supply 90 dual-fuel engines to fifteen of these Arc 7 ice-class LNG carriers for the Yamal project,” said Lars Anderson, Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Power.
Yamal LNG is a Russian project, which by the end of 2017 is expected to produce 16.5 million tons of LNG per year for shipment to European, Asian and South American customers.