Three new LNG-fuelled Ro-Pax vessels being built for Swedish ferry operator Stena RoRo will feature a broad scope of Wärtsilä solutions. The ships are under construction at China Merchants Jinling  Shipyard and will operate with Wärtsilä engines and propulsion machinery when delivered in 2024 and 2025. The order was booked with Wärtsilä in Q4 2021.

Having a single supplier of a large scope package provides multiple benefits in the form of system compatibility, and seamless interfacing during the procurement phase of the project. This notably lessens the risk of project delays.

“We are very familiar with Wärtsilä’s ability to supply reliable and highly efficient solutions in line with our operational and sustainability requirements. In particular, their experience and leading know-how in LNG technologies is especially important to us as we move to decarbonise our services,” says Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo.

“We are delighted to help Stena RoRo bring the latest new vessels in its E-Flexer series to market, and to work once again with Wärtsilä to ensure these vessels have highly efficient and environmentally sustainable propulsion,” said Ni Weisong, Vice General Manager, China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard.

“We have earlier supplied a similar scope of solutions for Stena newbuild projects, and it is especially gratifying to receive this repeat order. The cooperation between our companies and with the shipyard has been excellent, and we look forward to another successful outcome,” says Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

The vessels, each around 200 metres long, are part of a series of E-Flexer class ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for European line service. For each ship Wärtsilä will supply Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel main engines, Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel auxiliary engines, two gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPP), the tunnel thrusters, and the fuel gas supply system.

The use of LNG as a marine fuel is viewed by Wärtsilä as being an important transitional solution in the drive towards decarbonising shipping. LNG bridges the gap between conventional diesel fuels and future zero-carbon alternatives yet to be widely available, a decarbonisation strategy fully supported by both Wärtsilä and Stena Line.

Wärtsilä is working closely with Stena RoRo to ensure that one of the vessels meets DNV’s Silent-E class notification. This recognises that underwater noise from the vessel is controlled to protect vulnerable environments and involves careful configuration and design of propulsion and onboard equipment to offer low noise while maintaining high efficiency.

Wärtsilä will also supply the ships with Nacos navigation and automation, as well as integrated control alarm and monitoring system MCS Platinum together with the performance monitoring system. The vessels will also feature Wärtsilä’s Smart Panoramic Edge Camera System, eliminating blind spots and creating a 360°, birds-eye view of the ships surroundings, offering a significant advantage when docking.

The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard commencing in Q4 2022.

Stena RoRo specialises in custom-built vessels, as well as standardised RoRo and RoPax vessels. The company leases about fifteen vessels to operators worldwide, both to other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo specialises above all in applying its technical expertise to the design and production of new ships and the conversion of existing ships for delivering tailored transport solutions to its customers.