The technology group Wärtsilä will supply all the main equipment for the first LNG fuelled short-sea Ro-Lo (roll-on, lift-off) vessels to be operated by Finland based Bore Ltd. Three ships have been ordered and are being built at the WuHu Shipyard in China. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in December.

Wärtsilä has worked in close collaboration with both the owner and the naval architect to develop a vessel optimised integrated LNG system. As a result it has been possible to locate a 250 cbm Wärtsilä LNGPac storage and supply system below deck without compromising the cargo capacity.

The ships will be propelled by a Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engine driving a Wärtsilä controlled pitch propeller (CPP) at variable speed, connected to a Wärtsilä SCV95 gearbox with an integrated power pack. In addition, the vessels will each be equipped with Wärtsilä ProTouch controls and Eco Control to enable accurately synchronised engine speed and propeller pitch. This delivers outstanding engine and propulsion efficiency, while the Eco Control operating mode can be selected for automated fuel savings while in transit. These integrated technologies will be supported via Wärtsilä’s Data Collection Unit (WDCU) with cloud based services and remote monitoring to optimise operability, fuel economy, and periodic maintenance.

“Our remote smart services provide state-of-the-art support for the ships’ integrated solution, which is another value-adding feature that we are providing for these vessels. Furthermore, the propulsion efficiency will be optimised using Wärtsilä’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Opti Design to tailor the size of the aft appendages specifically to the hull design. This efficiency saves fuel and, therefore, also operating costs,” says Luuk Hijlkema, Account Manager, Sales, Wärtsilä Marine.

“We appreciate Wärtsilä’s support and deep technological know-how, which have played a key role in developing these world-class vessels. We are proud to add these environmentally sustainable and fuel efficient ships to our fleet,” says Jörgen Mansnerus, VP, Marine Management at Bore Ltd.

The 120 metre long ships will be chartered to Finnish forestry company UPM, and will operate in the Baltic and North Seas. They will have Finnish/Swedish Ice Class 1A classification. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery Mid 2021.

Bore Ltd is an affiliate of the Dutch Spliethoff Group.