By
Cherie Rowlands |
Global marine power solutions company, Wärtsilä, will supply the main engines and auxiallary generating sets for a new Scottish ro-pax ferry scheduled for service in 2014, the company said on 21 January.
The vessel – which is designed to carry 700 passengers and 143 cars or 26 trucks – ordered by Lloyds Banking Group, is to be leased to Scottish operator Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) and will be built at the Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft shipyard in Germany.
“CMAL is a progressive, forward-looking company focused on design optimisation for lowest emission, lowest fuel consumption and best vessel availability,” said Wärtsilä Ship Power Sales VP Aaron Bresnahan. “This approach is a perfect match with Wärtsilä’s strategy. We have worked closely with both the owner and the yard earlier and we have been privileged to work with them again on this project.”
Wärtsilä will deliver two eight-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 main engines and three eight-cylinder Wärtsilä 20 gensets, in line with the shipyard requirement that the engines must be commercially competitive, compact and light in weight.
The equipment will weigh a total of 151.4 tons which is the lowest in their class. The lighter engine weight contributes to a low overall vessel weight, resulting in a relatively high payload for the ferry. Good fuel efficiency and low levels of emissions were also important considerations in the selection process, as the new ferry will be replacing two existing ferries on the route connecting the mainland of northwest Scotland with the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides, in a round-the-clock operation.
CMAL director of vessels Andrew Duncan said: “We are pleased to announce that Wärtsilä main and auxiliary engines are to be installed on the newbuild ferry currently being designed at Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft. The engines were selected as the most suitable for the project due to their overall performance in terms of fuel consumption, emissions, weight and size.”