Wärtsilä is to supply the propulsion systems for a new 115 m long high-speed ferry.
The vessel is being built by Austal at the Australian shipbuilder’s yard in the Philippines for Danish operator Molslinjen.
She will feature four Wärtsilä 31 4-stroke diesel engines, and four Wärtsilä WXJ1500SRI waterjets. Wärtsilä will also supply a ProTouch bridge controls system.
The order was placed in May this year.
“This combination of the Wärtsilä 31 engine and WXJ waterjets is unique for fast ferries, delivering exceptional fuel efficiency, reliability, quality and performance. This is an exciting project, and we are honoured to have been selected to provide the level of propulsion demanded,” said Stefan Nysjö, Marine Power Solutions, Wärtsilä Marine.
She will be capable of carrying 1,610 passengers, and will also have space for 450 cars or 617 lane metres for trucks, plus 257 cars. It will have an operating service speed of close to 37 knots.
“The size of the vessel, together with the speed and propulsion efficiency makes this a very special project. It will be, by volume, the largest ferry ever built in our shipyards, and it will offer a powerful, yet economical and environmentally-friendly solution,” Wayne Murray, President Austal Philippines added..
“We have Wärtsilä waterjets on several of our fast ferries, so we are familiar with the quality and performance they deliver. We are also familiar with the Wärtsilä 31 engine, which is really in a class of its own in regards to efficiency,” Flemming Kristensen, Technical Director, Molslinjen, claimed.
Wärtsilä’s WXJ waterjet series was introduced in 2019 as the successor to the company’s successful LJX series. This is the first time the WXJ waterjets and the Wärtsilä 31 engine have been used in combination for a fast ferry.
The equipment will be delivered to the yard commencing in July, 2021, and the ferry is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2022. It will operate on the Molslinjen Bornholm route between Ystad and Rønne in Denmark.
