By
Kasturi Datta |
Wärtsilä will supply fuel-flexible propulsion engines for Grimaldi Group’s fleet of nine newbuild ferries.
The vessels are currently under construction at the China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard in China and will be part of Grimaldi Group’s fleet renewal programme which aims to achieve decarbonised shipping operations.
Four of the nine vessels will be operated by Grimaldi Lines on routes between Sardinia and Sicily in Italy, Spain, Greece and Tunisia. Three vessels will be operated by Finnlines along the Helsinki, Finland, and Travemunde, Germany route. The remaining two vessels will be operated by Minoan Lines in Greece.
All nine ferries will be powered by Wärtsilä’s 46F engines. These engines offer high-fuel flexibility, a critical element in the industry’s efforts to meet decarbonisation targets set by the International Maritime Organization.
The three vessels tobe operated by Finnlines will use Wärtsilä’s hybrid electric system and benefit from reduced fuel consumption and emissions as well as, improved operational efficiency.
Wärtsilä will also provide the Finnlines vessels with a fully integrated power and propulsion system comprised of two gear boxes, two controllable pitch propellers and a Wärtsilä ProTouch remote propulsion control system.
“Ferry operators are demanding operational requirements, from availability and efficiency to emissions compliance across variable routes,” said Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä Marine and executive vice president at Wärtsilä Corporation. “Through close cooperation with Grimaldi Group, we’ve taken a truly integrated approach to meet these needs. We will deliver future-proof solutions through engines capable of running on different fuels, along with cohesive packages of innovative, low emission technologies, to support the operational performance of these vessels today while enabling flexibility for the future.”
Wärtsilä is expected to deliver its systems for all nine vessels between 2026 and 2028.