Fosen Yard has entered into a contract with Fjordline to replace the main engines on the car and passenger ferries Stavangerfjord and Bergensfjord.

Both vessels are built at Fosen, respectively NB 87 & 88, and delivered to Fjordline in 2013/2014, then with LNG-powered engines from Rolls Royce, considered to be the most future-oriented and environmentally friendly solution at the time. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to an energy crisis where the price of LNG has increased tenfold just since last summer and Fjordline felt compelled to take action to ensure profitability on the routes they serve.

After considering many options to achieve sustainable operation in the long term, Fjordline ended up replacing the existing engines with new ones from Wärtsilä, which can use both LNG and marine gas oil (MGO) as fuel. This will lead to much better control of expenses and provide great flexibility when the price of LNG normalizes.

Stavangerfjord and Bergensfjord operate on Bergen-Stavanger-Hirtshals and Langesund-Hirtshals and will be taken out of these routes early in the new year, in order to resume them before the 2023 summer season.