Wärtsilä Wins Order for 54 LNG Engines

The fleet of carriers will serve the Yamal LNG project in Northern Russia.

Finland's Wärtsilä Corporation says it has won an order for 54 liquefied natural gas (LNG) capable engines for a fleet of carriers being built for the Yamal LNG project in Northern Russia.

The ships are owned by two joint ventures, one between Canada-based Teekay LNG Partners and China LNG Shipping (CLNG), and another between China Shipping LNG Investment Co.,Ltd. (CSLNG) and Japan-based Mitsui O.S.K.

They are currently being built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Yard in South Korea, and will be outfitted with Wärtsilä's 50DF engines, which the company said emits nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions that are 85 percent less than current International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations when in gas mode. 

"The fitting of Wärtsilä 50DF engines onboard the first LNG carriers in 2006 set a trend in the industry and since that introduction, 65 percent of all new LNG carriers have been fitted with Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines," said Lars Anderson, vice president of Wärtsilä Ship Power. 

"The strong success of this particular engine over the alternatives is based on its superior propulsion efficiency and the clear environmental advantages that operating on gas allows."

The company said that though the engines are also capable of running on heavy fuel oil and marine diesel oil, LNG will be the main form of fuel used. 

Wärtsilä has been vocal about its push towards LNG and its adoption in the industry, with CEO Bjorn Rosengren having said last year that it would be "one of the main marine fuel of the future."