Wärtsilä is to provide propulsion technology for three new vessels being designed and developed for Swedish Ferry company Stena RoRo. These vessels will utilize hybrid power and can use both LNG and battery power to operate. They are to be delivered in 2024 and 2025 and be chartered long-term to Brittany Ferries for operation between Portsmouth, UK, and the French ports St Malo and Caen.
These ferries are being built at the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard. Two of these vessels are supposed to be the largest hybrid-powered vessels in the industry. Wärtsilä has stated that these two vessels will have a battery capacity of 11.5 MWh. This is double the energy storage capacity typical of vessels utilizing hybrid propulsion. In addition, the ships will also have the latest Leclanché energy storage system known as the Navius MRS–3. This particular system is acclaimed to have a size and weight advantage over its contemporary storage technologies.
The ferries will be able to utilize LNG or battery power in isolation or a combination of both. They will also be able to plug into shore power in the ports that have the supporting infrastructure. The combined benefits of shore power and Hybrid propulsion lead to a reduction in emission of about 15% as compared to a conventional diesel engine.
Wärtsilä has already contributed much to the construction of these vessels. They were contracted earlier to provide vessel components such as the main and auxiliary engines, controllable pitch propellers, thrusters, gearboxes, fuel gas supply system, Nacos navigation and automation, and an integrated monitoring and alarm system.
