Products & services

Wärtsilä solutions open route to decarbonization for Poland’s first LNG-fuelled RoPax vessels

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 15 February 2022 15 February 2022

The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted by Remontowa shipyard in Poland to supply engines, fuel storage and supply systems for three new RoPax vessels, the first LNG-fuelled RoPax vessels to be built for the Polish maritime sector. The ships will be operated by ferry companies Unity Line and Polferries. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in January 2022.

The vessels will each operate with four highly efficient Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines. The LNG-fuelled engines can use bio-LNG, either on its own or blended with conventional LNG, to further reduce their carbon footprint. The operators intend to run the vessels entirely on bio-LNG by 2025.

The efficiency of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine was a key consideration in the award of this contract. The diesel version of the engine has been recognised by Guinness World Records as being the world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine. Wärtsilä will also deliver its LNGPac fuel storage, supply, and control system.

“High efficiency and sustainability are essential in today’s operating environment, especially in the Baltic Sea which is an Emissions Control Area. The Wärtsilä 31 engine represents the latest engine technology available and this, coupled with Wärtsilä’s vast experience in LNG solutions, made the choice easy for us,” says Grzegorz Wardzyński, Technical Director of Polsteam, the parent company of Unity Line.

“Decarbonisation is a front and centre issue for the maritime sector, and this focus is reflected in the choice of the Wärtsilä engines for these ferries. Optimal engine performance is essential in maximising fuel efficiency and minimising exhaust emissions. These new vessels will become an important part of Poland’s transport infrastructure, and we are proud to be a partner to this project,” says Matthias Becker, General Manager, Sales, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

Wärtsilä has taken a leading position in developing the technologies necessary for decarbonising shipping operations. The company sees LNG as an important transitional marine fuel, bridging the gap between conventional diesel fuels and future carbon-free alternatives.

The vessels will have an overall length of 195 metres and will be capable of carrying 400 passengers, with 4,100 lane metres for vehicles. They will operate between Swinoujscie in Poland and the Swedish ports of Ystad and Trelleborg.

Trimline’s TAPP aids success of Marella Explorer refit

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 05 January 2022 05 January 2022

Trimline and Marella Cruises teamed up again on the recent refurbishment of Marella Explorer in Puerto Real, Spain.

During the extensive 4-week refit, as the main outfitter onboard, the 80-strong Trimline team of floor layers, decorators, joiners, upholsterers, tilers, electricians, french polishers, welders and hard surface repairers completed a complex refurbishment of the Main Restaurant (Latitude & Vista) which included the installation of an ultra-high efficiency lighting system which is 15% more efficient than standard LED drivers. Changing the existing lighting over to this system saves 130 Tonnes of Co2 per year.

Other areas the Trimline team refurbished were Indigo which included the installation of a fully interactive LED dancefloor; The Mediterranean Bar which included the recovering of all loose seats & sofas; Squid & Anchor; The Hideout; Pool Deck; The Attic; Umi Sushi; Cinema; Broadway Show Lounge; Coffee Port; Lounge; Bar 53; The Shack; Destination Services; Cruise Holiday Store; and the carpeting of 60 cabins.

One of the key success factors of the refit was the use of Trimline’s exciting new app (TAPP) which runs their entire business. The first of its kind, it provides a way for Trimline, its customers, suppliers and contractors, to work collaboratively towards the end-goal of a superbly executed project, on time & on budget. TAPP helped in many ways during this extensive refit, including:

Progress monitoring - having visibility of live progress at all times gave Trimline and Marella a more realistic view of project stage and progress.
Planned vs actual resource – as tasks were broken down, it was possible to quickly see where they were with planned vs real-time resource hours.
Purchase status – having one easy-to-access locations for all purchases enabled the Project Management team to see where everything was in the ordering process and where all materials were.
People movement – the fully automated checking in & out system gave the team an efficient way to monitor people movement onboard.
Contractor portal – as all contractors had access to the portal, they were able to read and sign all documentation, including risks assessments, before joining the ship. This saved considerable time when everyone joined the ship and it also made it quick and easy to see where any forms were missing. During their time onboard, contractors were able to quickly access all their required travel & working documentation from the TAPP hub.

Marella Cruises Hotel Refurbishment Manager, Matt Easton, said “Trimline’s team did a great job during the latest update onboard Marella Explorer with fantastic project management skills. By using TAPP, I had constant access to live data, allowing me to see exactly where Trimline were against their plan and when an area was ready for sign off. “

Vow bags $5.2 million cruise retrofit contract

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 07 December 2021 07 December 2021

Vow ASA has through its subsidiary Scanship been awarded a US$5.2 million retrofit contract with one of the major cruise line companies.

Scanship has entered a turnkey contract for the supply and installation of its advanced wastewater purification systems onboard a cruise ship with the capacity to process all wastewater generated from 5000 people. The delivery of process equipment and onboard installation are scheduled to take place during 2022, partly in drydock and during regular cruise operations thereafter. When installed and operational, the cruise ship will meet the highest environmental standard at sea in line with the IMO Marpol MEPC 227(64) including chapter 4.2 with nutrient removal.

“We are very pleased to enter into this contract. It will be the fourth retrofit we are doing with this shipowner. It demonstrates a continuing high focus on environmental sustainability in a period where the industry is resuming their operations”; said CEO Henrik Badin in a statement.

The shipowner will be disclosed at a later stage.

ABB releases 2021 edition of Generations

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 09 December 2021 09 December 2021

ABB Marine & Ports has announced the release of the 2021 edition of Generations, the annual publication in which ABB presents business perspectives from a diverse group of global industry thought leaders alongside technical insight from its own in-house experts.

With ‘Future focus: Towards sustainable success’ as its theme, this year’s Generations highlights two distinct but related opportunities: meeting today’s sustainability targets and laying the foundations for tomorrow’s zero-emissions society. In addition, the publication sheds light on how key industry stakeholders and leading visionaries are addressing these opportunities by applying the best of existing solutions and exploring the most promising future technologies.

Readers gain insight into the EU-funded initiative driving power transformation in offshore wind, an island nation’s commitment to electrifying its transport sector, a Californian city’s pioneering role in workboat electrification, and the growing importance of hydrogen in the global energy transition. Meanwhile, major players in energy transportation, cruising and expedition cruising, yacht building, and grocery wholesale offer their unique perspectives on the maritime industry’s efforts to go green.

Generations 2021 also spotlights Singapore as a future-oriented smart port and smart nation, celebrates 30 years of Azipod® propulsion’s excellence at sea, and takes an in-depth look at some of shipping’s most relevant and potentially valuable innovations.

To view or download the latest edition of Generations, go to abb.com/generations.

Viking Line orders Elogrids for a second Vessel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 17 November 2021 17 November 2021

The purpose of Elogrids is to reduce a ship’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. This decision significantly decreases the environmental impact of marine traffic. Viking XPRS is the second Viking Line ship to have Elogrids installed.

Elogrids reduce Viking XPRS' fuel consumption about 2 %, which leads to about 500 kilos of fuel saved per day. This reduction means 1 500 kilos less CO 2 emissions per day.

Elogrids are installed at the entrance of tunnel thrusters. They reduce additional resistance from tunnels in normal operation and improve propeller thrust force when maneuvering, thus improving the ships maneuverability, and increasing safety as well as comfort by reducing noise and vibration.

Viking Line installed Elogrids in its Gabriella in the spring of 2021. They have been very happy with the results. Measurements taken in the ship’s bow restaurant confirmed 30% vibration reduction and 15% noise reduction in bollard pull testing.

“After the installation of Elogrids I really feel the difference in lower vibrations on deck already during testing. The maneuverability of the vessel is clearly improved compared to original. I would not have expected to notice such a significant effect,” says Captain Tomas Karlgren at Viking Line.

Viking XPRS operates between Helsinki and Tallinn six times per day. The docking and installation are planned for January 2022.

Elomatic sees massive growth potential in energy efficiency investments in operating ships. Global IMO/EEXI/CCI regulation force shipowners to continuously improve the efficiency of their ships.