Wärtsilä said it will provide a complete LNG system comprising of its W31DF engine, gearbox and LNGPac storage and supply and control systems for two new ferries being built on behalf of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) subsidiary Ferry Sunflower Ltd.
Wärtsilä said the duel-fuel W31DF engine will comply with the client’s specifications to improve the efficiency of the ferries and offers the option of continuous gas mode operation.
MOL’s general manager, technical division Makoto Yamaguchi said “MOL is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of its business activities, and these two ferries are being built in line with that objective ... and the high-performance Wärtsilä engine fits our requirements perfectly.”
The 200 m-long vessels Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki each will be capable of carrying approximately 763 passengers, 136 trucks and 100 passenger cars at a speed of 22.5 knots. They are scheduled to commence operations in 2023 on the Osaka – Beppu route.
The ships will be built at Mitsubishi’s Shimonoseki shipyard in Japan, and will be the first LNG-fuelled ferries to be built in Japan. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in the second quarter of 2020 and the newbuild project has been adopted for Japan’s energy conservation rating system for coastal ships, a demonstration test programme to enhance operational efficiency. Wärtsilä has had lengthy relationships with both MOL and Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi Shipyards has delivered ferries, LNG carriers, and a seismic research vessel, all with Wärtsilä engines.
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