Wärtsilä’s 31 DF dual-fuel engine has been selected to power the polar ice-class luxury cruise vessel being built for the France-based operator Ponant at Vard Søviknes, a part of VARD shipbuilding group in Norway.
The 150-metre long ship is intended to operate in environmentally sensitive Arctic and Antarctic waters, hence it will run primarily on LNG.
In addition to four 14-cylinder and two 10-cylinder Wärtsilä 31DF engines, Wärtsilä will also supply the fuel gas supply system, and the company’s Nacos Platinum navigation equipment.
“We have ordered the building of a clean ship featuring technologies that go beyond current industry-standard environmental regulations. This is why we have chosen a propulsion format with Wärtsilä’s highly efficient 31DF engine running on LNG,” says Charles Gravatte, Ponant General Secretary.
The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled to be delivered in 2020, one year before delivery of Ponant’s polar ice-class luxury cruise vessel.
This will be the twelfth ship in Ponant’s fleet of cruise vessels. The previous eleven ships are all powered by Wärtsilä engines.