Three new LNG-fuelled E-Flexer ropaxes being built for Stena RoRo will feature a wide variety of Wärtsilä solutions.
The ships are under construction at China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard and will operate with Wärtsilä engines and propulsion machinery when delivered in 2024 and 2025.
Having a single supplier of a large 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, Wärtsilä 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 knowhow in LNG technologies is especially important to us as we move to de-carbonise our services,” said Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo.
“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,” said Ni Weisong, Vice General Manager, China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard.
“We have earlier supplied a similar scope of solutions for Stena newbuild projects and it is especially gratifying to receive this repeat order. The co-operation between our companies and with the shipyard has been excellent, and we look forward to another successful outcome,” Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine Power added.
The vessels, each around 200 m in length, are part of a series of E-Flexer class ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for European services.
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.
Wärtsilä said that the use of LNG as a marine fuel is an important transitional solution in the drive towards de-carbonising shipping. LNG bridges the gap between conventional diesel fuels and future zero-carbon alternatives yet to be widely available, a de-carbonisation strategy fully supported by both Wärtsilä and Stena Line.
The company also said that it 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 on board equipment to offer low noise while maintaining high efficiency.
Each ship will also be fitted with Nacos navigation and automation, as well as integrated control alarm and monitoring system MCS Platinum, together with the performance monitoring system. They will also feature Wärtsilä’s Smart Panoramic Edge Camera System, eliminating blind spots and creating a 360 deg, birds-eye view of the ships surroundings, offering a significant advantage when berthing.
The equipment is due to be delivered to the yard commencing in 4Q22.
Stena RoRo specialises in custom-built vessels, as well as standardised ro-ro and ropax vessels. The company charters about 15 vessels to operators worldwide, including to other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo primarily specialises in applying its technical expertise to the design and production of new ships and the conversion of existing ships to deliver tailored transport solutions to its customers, it claimed.
