The technology group Wärtsilä is to supply the engines and other propulsion machinery for a new offshore construction vessel being built at the Cosco shipyard in China. The ship owner is Belgian operator Dredging International (DEME). This will be the first vessel of its kind to be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and in addition to the dual-fuel engines, Wärtsilä will also provide its LNGPac fuel storage and supply system and propulsion systems. The orders with Wärtsilä were booked in the fourth quarter of 2016 and in February 2017. The ‘Orion’ is expected to be delivered to the owners in 2018 and will undertake operations involving the installation of offshore windfarms in locations around the world.
DEME is a long-standing customer of Wärtsilä and has, in recent years, utilised Wärtsilä solutions for numerous vessels, including three hopper dredgers, a cable installation vessel, a cutter suction dredger vessel, as well as the ‘Orion’ offshore construction vessel.
The decision to utilise clean burning LNG fuel represents our commitment to provide environmentally sustainable solutions for our operations. Wärtsilä has extensive experience and vast technological know-how in this field, which is why we have selected them as our partner in this project.
