Products & services

New Tallink ferry to be powered by Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 12 March 2015 12 March 2015

A new fast ropax ferry ordered by the Estonia based Tallink Grupp for its Tallinn - Helsinki route, will feature Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines running primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship is to be built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is scheduled to be in operation from the beginning of 2017. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in February.

By opting for Wärtsilä's industry leading dual-fuel (DF) engine technology with LNG used as the main fuel, the ship will comply with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) latest sulphur emissions legislation which came into force in January 2015. The Baltic Sea is designated as a Sulphur Emissions Control Area (SECA). When operating in gas mode, the sulphur oxide (SOx) and particle emissions from the Wärtsilä DF engines are negligible at almost zero percent. Furthermore, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are at least 85 percent below those specified in the current IMO regulations, and CO2 emissions are some 25 percent less than those of a conventional marine engine running on diesel fuel.

The full scope of supply includes three 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF and two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF main engines, as well as two Wärtsilä fixed pitch propellers and propeller shaft lines. The equipment will be delivered to the yard in early 2016.

"The ferry will operate at fairly high speed and to very tight schedules. It is, therefore, important to the customer that the main engine propulsion is highly efficient and extremely reliable. Wärtsilä's extensive track record is proof of our ability to meet these criteria. At the same time, we are the leading supplier of gas fuelled solutions to the marine industry and this was another reason for being awarded this important contract," says Mika Ojutkangas, General manager, Sales, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

"The Wärtsilä engines are more energy efficient and thus consume less fuel, and for a next generation environmentally sustainable ferry that is what we were especially looking for," says Tarvi-Carlos Tuulik, Head of Shipmanagement of AS Tallink Grupp.

The new 212 metre long ferry will have a gross tonnage of 49,000 and will carry 2800 passengers.

Dnata enhances travel services with acquisition of majority stake in Imagine

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 09 March 2015 09 March 2015

Dnata announced today it has signed an agreement to purchase a majority stake in Imagine Cruising.

Imagine Cruising is one of the UK’s leading cruise and stay holiday distributors with expertise in both the tour operating and retailing of cruise, working with all the leading UK and international cruise lines.

"Imagine Cruising is a key distributor of cruise products around the world. The addition of the company to the dnata portfolio adds expertise in the growing cruise sector, strengthening our position as an international leader in travel services,” said Iain Andrew, Divisional Senior Vice President of dnata’s travel business.

“The partnership between Imagine Cruising and dnata will support the development of both businesses,” said Robin Deller, Managing Director, Imagine Cruising. “dnata’s recent international growth highlights its commitment to the travel industry around the world. Each business and its customers will benefit from enhanced products and services, and the expertise each organization brings.”

Based in Swindon, UK, with offices also in Cape Town, South Africa, Imagine Cruising provides passengers with a range of cruise options around the world. Globally, the cruise sector is one of the fastest growing within the travel industry. This year, more than 23 million travellers worldwide will choose cruising.

“Imagine Cruising brings a deep understanding of a key travel market, one which will enhance the product offering of each company within the dnata family,” added Iain. “Imagine will lead the strategic development of cruise across dnata travel brands offering customers of Travel Republic, Gold Medal Travel Group and Stella Travel Services an enhanced choice of unique cruise holidays.”

Completion of the acquisition remains subject to merger control clearance in South Africa. dnata and Imagine Cruising will continue to operate independently pending completion.

Trimline refurbishes twenty suites for Azamara Club Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 06 February 2015 06 February 2015

Trimline, Southampton-based marine interior refurbishment specialists, has completed a month-long refurbishment of twenty Owners Suites on the Azamara Quest and Journey on behalf of Azamara Club Cruises.

Working on-the-run, while the ships were in service, Trimline carefully coordinated with the staff on-board and worked around passenger schedules to keep passenger disruption to a minimum. Limiting the noisiest work to periods when guests were off the ships, ensured that there was no impact on the cruise experience.
Fourteen staff from Trimline, including joiners, carpet fitters, electricians, upholsterers, decorators, labourers and a French polisher, joined the Azamara Quest in Greece and began the strip-out of the ten existing suite interiors.

The refurbishment included installing new sofas, bed frames and arm chairs and the fitting of new carpets. The suites were re-decorated with luxurious embossed wallpaper in the living and bedroom areas, cornices were painted and some suites had new floating floors installed along with replacement steel sheeting to replace worn existing sheets. New lamps were installed along with new wall lamps by the team of electricians.

All the curtains for the suites were handmade at Trimline’s Southampton headquarters, with extra care and attention-to-detail being paid to the delicate silk material used. Hand sewing techniques were used by the soft furnishings team instead of machine stitching to preserve and maintain the materials and the curtains.

Extra care was also taken with the installation of the wallpaper. The delicate material was installed using less water and paste to retain the integrity of the intricate pattern.
Daniella Camere, Project Manager at Royal Caribbean, commented: “Trimline was given very tight deadlines and late deliveries were handled extremely well within the project deadline. They were particularly helpful in managing the purchasing and long lead times from vendors and we were extremely satisfied with the way the project was managed.”

The work was undertaken consecutively with ten suites on Azamara Quest finished in mid-November and the ten suites refurbishment on Azamara Journey commencing immediately after in Italy.

Mike Oliver, Sales & Marketing Director, at Trimline said: “We are delighted with the work we have carried out to the two Azamara cruise ships. Working on-the-run always has its challenges, but we are adept at handling these and overcoming any potential limitations. We managed twenty installations of suitess within very tight deadlines and we’re really happy with the results.”

Scanship wins Total Clean Ship System order for Silversea newbuilding

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 23 February 2015 23 February 2015

Scanship Holding ASA, the listed Norwegian engineering group, says it has through its subsidiary Scanship AS been awarded a contract for delivery of Scanship Total Clean Ship System on a Silversea newbuilding at Fincantieri.

The vessel, which will service the ultra-luxury market with worldwide itinerary, will enter the market in 2016. Scanship's main delivery of equipment for advanced wastewater purification, vacuum food waste processing and garbage handling with incineration will take place during Q3 of 2015.

"We are very pleased to be selected as a partner by Fincantieri for this prestigious project, increasing our market share within total clean ship systems. This confirms that our technology is requested by vessels that need to be in compliance with the highest environmental standards worldwide," Henrik Badin, Scanship's CEO, said in a statement.

Queen Mary 2 to be fitted with Wärtsilä Hamworthy waste water treatment system

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Products & services Products & services; Published: 06 February 2015 06 February 2015

Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 is being fitted with a Wärtsilä advanced waste water treatment system. "This installation will enable the vessel to fully comply with the IMO's requirements concerning the prevention of pollution from ships," the Finnish engineering group that supplies the system said in a statement..

The Wärtsilä Hamworthy Membrane BioReactor (MBR) solutions are designed to facilitate the management and treatment of both 'grey' and 'black' waste water, and to monitor discharges to the sea. The contract was awarded by Cunard Line during the third quarter of 2014.

Cunard's 2620 passenger capacity Queen Mary 2 entered service in 2004 and was designed with the aim of reducing the vessel's impact on the environment through more efficient management of waste. The existing on-board system is now due for replacement and two Wärtsilä Hamworthy MBR 16 systems have been selected to maintain the ship's high environmental standards.

"Environmental performance is of ever increasing importance throughout the marine industry, but especially so for cruise ships and ferries. Wärtsilä's in-house know-how and broad experience in wastewater treatment and management systems for ships were crucial factors in the award of this important contract," says Juha Kytölä, Vice President, Environmental Solutions, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

Wärtsilä's innovative MBR system is an evolution of the company's proven sewage treatment technology for handling grey and black water waste. The company has over 30 years experience in wastewater treatment and in meeting the waste handling needs of the marine industry.

"The technology is an advanced wastewater treatment process based on biological degradation and membrane separation. It delivers the highest quality discharge without requiring any addition or generation of chemicals hazardous to the maritime or shipboard environments. The Wärtsilä Hamworthy MBR is capable of meeting both current and anticipated effluent quality standards," the company said.