Wärtsilä Corporation’s expertise in LNG fuel solutions for the marine industry has been emphasised in the company’s launch of a new series of LNG Carrier ship designs. This series is the latest addition to Wärtsilä’s ship design portfolio and is an important part of the company’s strategic programme under the theme “Taking Merchant Shipping into the Gas Age”. All vessel designs incorporate the latest dual-fuel engines for LNG propulsion in ECA zones.
The series comprises four vessel designs, the WSD59 3K, WSD59 6.5K, WSD55 12K, and WSD50 20K, all of which have been developed in close cooperation with customers to produce vessels that are appropriate for the global LNG infrastructure and applicable for both ocean going and inland water operations. In each case, fuel economy, performance guarantees, optional versions to meet specific needs, and the flexibility to choose particular features and solutions have been emphasised.
“Wärtsilä Ship Design has an extensive reference list dating back to 2003 for vessel designs for LNG fuelled ships. The experience and know-how that has been built up during these 15 years has been utilised to develop this latest series of world class designs for LNG Carriers. The entire concept of these designs is to enable the lowest possible fuel consumption, to allow owners to select the ship design that exactly meets their needs, and to provide shipyards with the most convenient and cost effective packages possible,” says Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President, Ship Design, Wärtsilä Ship Power.
More than 4000 vessels have thus far been built based on Wärtsilä designs, including some of the world’s most advanced LNG powered ships. According to Mr Hägg; “Our ship designs consistently raise the bar for merchant shipping in terms of efficiency and environmental sustainability.”
Vessel Designs
- WSD59 3K — 3,000 M3 LNG BUNKERING VESSEL, TYPE 2G — offers fuel consumption of 7.5 t/d at a service speed of 14 knots. The design draft is 4.75 metres.
- WSD55 12K — 12,000 M3 LNG/LPG/LEG TANKER, TYPE 2G — offers fuel consumption of 13.5 t/d at a service speed of 14.5 knots, making it the best in its class. The design draft is 6.2 metres.
- WSD50 20K — 20,000 M3 LNG TANKER, TYPE 2G — offers fuel consumption of 18.1 t/d at a service speed of 15 knots, also declared the best in its class. The design draft is 7.8 metres.
- WSD59 6.5K — 6,500 M3 LNG BUNKERING VESSEL, TYPE 2G — offers fuel consumption of 11.0 t/d at a speed of 13 knots. The design draft is 5.8 metres.
The new designs have been developed at the Wärtsilä Ship Design offices in China and Poland. They were featured this week at the CMA Shipping conference and exhibition in Stamford, Connecticut, USA.
(Source: Wärtsilä Corporation)
