Wärtsilä to Equip First Japan-built LNG-Fueled Ferries
Finland's marine technology firm Wärtsilä has won a deal to provide a complete LNG-package for what will be the first LNG-powered ferries built in Japan.
Under the deal, Wärtsilä will provide a complete LNG package, comprising the Wärtsilä 31DF engine, gearbox, and LNGPac storage, supply, and control system for two new ferries being built on behalf of Ferry Sunflower, a subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).
The ships are being built at Mitsubishi’s Shimonoseki shipyard in Japan and will be the first LNG-fuelled ferries to be built in Japan.
“Wärtsilä’s vast experience and know-how in LNG solutions for the marine sector is again recognized with this landmark order for the first Japanese built LNG-fuelled ferries. We are able to offer LNG-based products and systems having a proven design and high performance, with a strong reference list that supports our value proposition,” says Keisuke Yasutake, Area Sales Manager, Wärtsilä Japan.
“MOL is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of its business activities, and these two ferries are being built in line with that objective. By operating on LNG they will have a greatly reduced carbon footprint, and the high-performance Wärtsilä engine fits our requirements perfectly,” says Makoto Yamaguchi, General Manager, Technical Division, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
The about 200 meters long ‘Sunflower Kurenai’ and ‘Sunflower Murasaki’ will be capable of carrying approximately 763 passengers, 136 trucks, and 100 passenger cars at a speed of 22.5 knots. They are scheduled to begin operations in 2023 on the Osaka – Beppu route.