The technology group Wärtsilä will supply Chantiers de l‘Atlantique, France, a comprehensive package of integrated solutions designed to support and enhance the efficiency and environmental sustainability of the first two World Class cruise vessels being built for Geneva, Switzerland based MSC Cruises. The ships will operate on clean burning LNG fuel, and with optimal environmental performance. The orders with Wärtsilä were placed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Q3 2018 and Q1 2019. These will be the first two cruise ships to run on LNG with Wärtsilä 46DF engines, and with Wärtsilä LNGPac systems.

The cruise industry’s profile in general is today very much geared towards sustainable operations. Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine vision, whereby high levels of digitalisation and connectivity are utilised to deliver greater efficiencies and better environmental performance, strongly supports this trend.

“The focus of our solutions is on reducing energy and fuel consumption in order to promote efficiency. At the same time, our nitrogen oxide reduction and LNG solutions enhance environmental sustainability, which together with the higher efficiency, is very much in line with Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine strategy,” says Stefan Nysjö, Vice President, Marine Power Solutions, Wärtsilä.

“We are very familiar with Wärtsilä’s products and they have always provided us with excellent support in newbuild projects. These two new cruise ships will represent the latest thinking in minimising the environmental impact and reducing fuel consumption, which is in line with our Ecorizon plan, and Wärtsilä is playing a major role in this,” says Yves Pelpel, Technical Director, Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

The full scope of Wärtsilä’s supply of fully integrated solutions includes, for each of the two vessels, five 14-cylinder Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel engines fitted with nitrogen oxide reduction (NOR) units, two Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage and supply systems, seven Wärtsilä thrusters, and two Wärtsilä fixed pitch propellers. The Wärtsilä 46DF engines are IMO Tier III compliant in gas mode, and are compliant in marine diesel oil (MDO) mode in combination with the NOR units. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in mid-2020 for the first ship, and in mid-2022 for the second.

The steel cutting ceremony for the first of the two vessels, the ‘MSC Europa’ was held at Chantiers de l‘Atlantique in the end of October and it is scheduled to be launched in May 2022. Delivery of the second World Class vessel is scheduled for 2024. MSC Cruises is the world’s largest privately held cruise operator, and these two new ships will operate worldwide.