Finnish engineering company Wärtsilä has been selected to equip the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled offshore construction vessel, being built at the Cosco shipyard in China, with propulsion machinery.
Ordered by Belgian ship operator Dredging International (DEME), the vessel will feature Wärtsilä’s dual-fuel engines, an LNGPac fuel storage, supply system and propulsion systems. The orders with Wärtsilä were booked in the fourth quarter of 2016 and in February 2017.
The 210-metre-long vessel, the Orion, will be powered by four 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel electric propulsion engines, and two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines. Wärtsilä will also supply two custom made 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 2017.
“The decision to utilise clean burning LNG fuel represents our commitment to provide environmentally sustainable solutions for our operations. 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,” Jan Gabriel, Head of newbuilding and conversion department at DEME, said.
Scheduled to be delivered to its owners in 2018, the Orion will undertake operations involving the installation of offshore windfarms in locations around the world.