Wärtsilä has been contracted to provide engines and other propulsion machinery for a new offshore construction vessel known as Orion, which is to be owned by Belgian operator Dredging International (DEME). 

Orion is set to be the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled vessel in the world, and is currently under construction at Cosco shipyard, China.

The new deal will see Wärtsilä provide four 9-cylinder 46DF dual-fuel electric propulsion engines, and two 6-cylinder 20DF dual-fuel engines for the ship.

The company will also supply two custom-made retractable thrusters and four underwater demountable thrusters, as well as a Wärtsilä LNGPac storage and supply system.

Commissioning, site supervision and extended project management services will also be offered by Wärtsilä as part of the arrangement. Delivery of the contracted equipments is expected to be carried out later this year.

Dredging International newbuilding and conversion department head Jan Gabriel said: “The decision to utilise clean burning LNG fuel represents our commitment to provide environmentally sustainable solutions for our operations.

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"Wärtsilä has extensive experience and vast technological know-how in this field, which is why we have selected them as our partner in this project."

“Wärtsilä has extensive experience and vast technological know-how in this field, which is why we have selected them as our partner in this project.”

DEME expects to take delivery of the 210m-long vessel by next year, which will be used to aid the installation of offshore windfarms worldwide.

Wärtsilä has previously provided its solutions for various DEME units, including three hopper dredgers, a cable installation ship and a cutter suction dredger vessel.

Wärtsilä also won a separate contract earlier this month for the provision of propulsion machinery for a new purse seine fishing trawler ordered by Strand Senior, a subsidiary of Norway-based Strand Havfiske.


Image: The world’s first LNG fuelled offshore construction vessel being built for DEME. Photo: courtesy of Wärtsilä.