Americas News
Wärtsilä Offers Complete Propulsion Packages Compatible with EALs for US Waters
Wärtsilä Corp. (Wärtsilä) Monday announced that it has developed propulsion systems capable of operating with Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) required in U.S. waters.
Wärtsilä says it is among the first marine propulsion solutions suppliers to achieve this compliance for complete propulsion packages.
The US Vessel General Permit 2013 (VGP-2013), which is applicable to all vessels sailing in US coastal waters, mandates the use of EALs in all oil-to-sea interfaces unless technically unfeasible.
"To make the company's propulsion systems EAL compatible, product modifications have been made to various elements, including the seals, hydraulics and oil monitoring systems," said the statement from Wärtsilä.
Wärtsilä also indicated that the company has obtained full intellectual property rights on its newly developed flushed hub solution.
The first vessels to be fitted with Wärtsilä's VGP-2013 compliant propulsion package are four BigRoll MC Class module carriers, which are currently under construction at COSCO Dalian Shipyard Co., Ltd (COSCO).
The four vessels will include Wärtsilä main engines and vessels design features that include low fuel consumption and high service speed.
While the VGP-2013 compliancy is available for new built installations, Wärtsilä says it can also perform feasibility studies for existing sailing installations, as it is possible in the case of many vessels to change the propulsion installation to a VGP-2013 compliant system.
"Vessels with VGP-2013 compliant Wärtsilä propulsion solutions will be allowed to operate freely in US coastal waters, as the environmentally advanced systems eliminate the possibility of mineral oil spills into the sea," says Arto Lehtinen, Vice President, Propulsion, Wärtsilä Ship Power.
In April, Wärtsilä reported that, despite a "slow marine market", it had a robust first quarter of 2015.
