Wärtsilä's Cargo Handling System for Fratelli Cosulich's LNG Bunkering Vessel

Finland-based marine equipment maker Wärtsilä will deliver a complete cargo handling system for a new LNG bunkering vessel being built in China for Italy's Fratelli Cosulich.

The Wärtsilä system selected for this 8,200 cbm capacity bunkering vessel, under construction to at the Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore and Engineering shipyard in China, includes a complete engineering, design and equipment supply package for the cargo handling system, including a loading and discharge system, a boil-off gas (BOG) management control and integrated fuel supply system, as well as the custody transfer and bunkering transfer systems.

"The adoption of LNG as marine fuel in increasing, which is having a positive effect on the demands for new LNG bunkering vessels. This is good news for shipyard like SOE, where gas carriers and LNG vessels is a core segment, and we are very pleased to continue our relationship with Wärtsila Gas Solutions on delivering these vessels to the highest standards,” said Gao Wenbao, CEO of the CIMC SOE shipyard.

The Wärtsilä equipment will be delivered starting in 2022, and the ship is expected to start commercial operations in 2023. It will probably operate around Italy’s coastline in the Mediterranean Sea.

Fratelli Cosulich Group announced the order of the vessel in May 2021. The ship, with its approximately 5,300 tons of DWT, will be able to transport over 8,000 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO for bunkering.

The total value of the investment for the construction of the vessel is approximately $45 million, the company said in May.