Wärtsilä technology for Australian RoRo newbuild

Wärtsilä announced it will supply main and auxiliary engines, fuel storage tanks, gas handling equipment and electrical systems for a new roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel being built for Australian operator SeaRoad Shipping.

The 210 m vessel is under construction at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) shipyard in Germany. The vessel will operate primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Wärtsilä’s said its depth of experience and in-house know-how concerning LNG systems was a major consideration in the award of the contract.

Wärtsilä will deliver LNG fuel equipment and electrical systems for a new RoRo being built for Australian operator SeaRoad Shipping at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. (Photo: Wärtsilä)

The ship is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The vessel will have 3,987 lane m for various freight units and will sail on Bass Strait, between Melbourne, Victoria and Devonport on the Australian island state of Tasmania.

The vessel will be powered by two Wärtsilä 46DF dual fuel main engines and three Wärtsilä 20DF dual fuel auxiliary engines. The fuel gas handling system and LNG tanks are designed with the gas valve units (GVUs) integrated into the tank connection space. This solution is unique to Wärtsilä and reduces the amount of piping needed, facilitating easier installation, the company said.

Wärtsilä said it will also deliver most of the onboard electrical systems. This includes bridge consoles with integrated navigation, redundant dual-gyro compass systems, nautical sensors, external communication systems, power take-in and take-out (PTI/PTO) shaft alternators with multi-drive technology, monitoring and control systems, switchboards, internal communication, safety systems and lighting.

Wärtsilä will design and integrate the entire electrical package, as well as delivering the cable network. The integration project continues a successful history between FSG and Wärtsilä in this area lasting more than 25 years.

“We recognize Wärtsilä’s strong capabilities in LNG-related technologies, as well as their capabilities in electrical systems, and these solutions are an excellent fit for this vessel,” says Philip Maracke, CEO, FSG.

Electrical installation will commence in this year, while the bulk of Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard during the first half of 2023.