Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract from Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd, South Korea, for a complete ship propulsion and auxiliary power
plant for a 133,000 tdw FPSO (floating oil production, storage and offloading) vessel being built for Husky Oil Operations Ltd of Canada.
The propulsion plant comprises two Wärtsilä 8L46 diesel engines each driving a Lips controllable pitch propeller of 5.5 m diameter through
a Wärtsilä gearbox. The main engines have a combined power output of 15,600 kW at 500 rpm. There are two Wärtsilä 6R32 auxiliary engines,
each of 2,430 kW at 720 rpm, for generating sets on board the FPSO.
The FPSO vessel is 272 m long by 46 m beam and 27 m deep, with a storage capacity of 940,000 barrels of crude oil. It is designed for
a maximum production rate of 120,000 barrels of crude oil a day. It will operate on the White Rose field located about 350 km off the
east coast of Newfoundland, Canada, from the second quarter of 2005.
The FPSO vessel will operate in a harsh, iceberg prone environment. The propulsion plant enables the vessel to be self propelled for the
delivery voyage, and to be able to navigate if the vessel is released from its mooring in the case of a threat of iceberg collision.
The White Rose field is estimated to have reserves of 250 million barrels of oil. It is being developed by Husky Oil Operations Ltd, a member of
Husky Energy Inc, one of Canada's largest gas and
oil companies in terms of production and reserves.