Wärtsilä To Provide 9 Engines for Kuwaiti Tankers

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday July 19, 2012

Finnish marine engine and power plant manufacturer Wärtsilä Corporation announced today it will provide fuel efficient main engines for nine vessels being constructed for Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.

Wärtsilä’s engines will be installed in four very large crude carriers (VLCCs), one Aframax tanker, and four medium range tankers being built at the Daewoo shipyard in Opko, South Korea.

The engines being installed are the Wärtsilä RT-flex common rail engines which the company says provide low fuel consumption and reductions in exhaust emissions. 

Waste heat from the RT-flex is also captured and used to produce onboard electricity.

The engines have low Specific Fuel Oil Consumption (SFOC) across the whole operating spectrum, and smokeless operation at all running speeds. 

"The resulting reductions in exhaust emissions are of considerable significance as the marine industry is under pressure to reduce its environmental footprint," the press release said.

"The choice of Wärtsilä RT-flex engines ensures that these new vessels will be both fuel and energy efficient, and that their emissions will be minimised," said Lars Anderson, Vice President Merchant, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

KOTC currently has two vessels fitted with Wärtsilä main engines and four with auxiliary engines.

The engines will be built in South Korea by the Engine & Machinery Division of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI-EMD).

The announcement comes after the firm warned it expected a slow third quarter.