Finland’s engine manufacturer Wartsila and Italian classification society RINA have joined forces on a new offering that includes LNG propulsion as the duo looks to slash costs and emissions.
The propulsion arrangement offers “full redundancy, less machinery, lower capital expenditure, reduced operational complexity, and optimised fuel consumption,” Wartsila said on Wednesday.
The new concept changes traditional ship design thinking and offers a “highly efficient, future-proof alternative,” the statement said.
The conventional approach in ship design has been to use 2-stroke engines for propulsion and 4-stroke engines for electric power generation.
However, the new arrangement requires just two 4-stroke dual-fuel (DF) engines, with options for electric power back-up from batteries or a small DF generator when the ship is idle, according to Wartsila.
The design can achieve a reduction of up to 50 percent from the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) reference level value, and immediate compliance with the IMO’s 2030 targets, it said.
Moreover, the arrangement features Wartsila 31DF engines operating with LNG fuel.
At current shipping speeds, the system performance of the new arrangement provides at least the same, or better efficiency than an equivalent 2-stroke design, Wartsila said.
In addition, at slower speeds, it has the potential to reduce fuel consumption and emission levels even further, it said.
