Finnish marine and energy solutions provider Wartsila is progressing construction of three new LNG-powered vessels commissioned by Canada's ferry services company BC Ferries, with delivery of the first vessel expected by the end of the year, Wartsila said.
Meanwhile, BC Ferries’ two biggest vessels, the Spirit of British Columbia and Spirit of Vancouver Island, will undergo an upgrade and conversion to LNG propulsion.
Wartsila is supplying the complete power, electrical and automation systems, as well as the LNG fuel storage and bunkering installation for the three new vessels, it explained.
The project is being developed at the Remontowa Ship Yard in Poland, the company said in a statement.
For the conversion of the ‘Spirit’ class vessels, Wärtsilä will supply the engines, the LNGPac (Wartsila’s complete fuel gas handling system for LNG) and gears. At the same time, Wartsila Propulsion Services will carry out mid-life upgrades of the controllable pitch propeller and tunnel thrusters and refurbish the engine rooms’ electrical and automation systems.
“BC Ferries’ fuel bill is huge, around $120 million annually, and we need to improve operating costs in order to keep fares low,” commented Mark Wilson, vice president, engineering at BC Ferries.
“Once completed, these five vessels are expected to save around 12 million litres of diesel a year” he pointed out, adding that “we also expect to reduce CO2 emissions by 9000 tonnes annually, which is the equivalent of taking approximately 1900 vehicles off the road per year.”
The three new vessels will be the first of a new generation of vessels for BC Ferries. Any additional vessels over the coming years will be based on the same standard concept, thus reducing the variety of models in its fleet, said Wartsila.
BC Ferries has a fleet of 34 vessels serving 47 terminals across the British Columbia region.