Wrtsil to Power World’s First LNG-Powered Offshore Construction Vessel – GCaptain

The worlds first LNG fuelled offshore construction vessel being built for DEME will be powered by Wrtsil.

Finnishtechnology group Wrtsil has been selected to supply the engines and propulsion machinery for the first offshore construction vessel to be powered by liquified natural gas.

The ship was ordered in March byBelgian operator Dredging International (DEME)at the Cosco shipyard in China.

The 210-meter-long vessel, namedOrion, will be powered by four 9-cylinder Wrtsil 46DF dual-fuel electric propulsion engines, and two 6-cylinder Wrtsil 20DF dual-fuel engines. Wrtsil will also supply two custom made retractable thrusters, four underwater demountable thrusters, the Wrtsil LNGPac storage and supply system, as well as commissioning, site supervision and extended project management services. The Wrtsil equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard in the latter part of 2017.

The Orion is expected to be delivered to the owners in 2018 and will undertake operations involving the installation of offshore windfarms in locations around the world.

The decision to utilise clean burning LNG fuel represents our commitment to provide environmentally sustainable solutions for our operations. Wrtsil has extensive experience and vast technological know-how in this field, which is why we have selected them as our partner in this project, says Jan Gabriel, Head of newbuilding and conversion department at DEME.

We are pleased to have been involved in this newbuild project from the conceptual design stage, since this enables our input on providing the most fuel efficient solution. We are also delighted that the Wrtsil 46DF engine has been selected, as the dual-fuel version of this well proven and popular engine has only recently been introduced, says Arthur Boogaard, General Manager, Business Development Special Vessels at Wrtsil.

DEME is a long-standing customer of Wrtsil and has, in recent years, utilised Wrtsil solutions for numerous vessels, including three hopper dredgers, a cable installation vessel, a cutter suction dredger vessel, as well as the Orion offshore construction vessel.

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Wrtsil to Power World's First LNG-Powered Offshore Construction Vessel - GCaptain