Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract from Dubai-based Drydocks World (DDW) to design and supply the propulsion and other equipment for a new LNG-using harbour tug.
As part of a green initiative launched by the Dubai Government, DDW will construct and operate nine such harbour tugs in the Middle East region.
Wärtsilä Ship Power Middle East sales director Ibrahim Behairy said: "This will be the first harbour tug in the Middle East to operate on gas, which indicates the growing importance of environmental issues everywhere."
For this 29m-long tug, the first among the series, Wärtsilä will provide the ship design, two nine-cylinder 20DF dual-fuel engines, steerable thrusters (WST), type WST-18 compact thrusters, the automation equipment and the LNGPac system.
The Wärtsilä 20DF medium-speed dual-fuel engine will be able to run on either natural gas, marine diesel oil (MDO), or heavy-fuel oil (HFO).
With its effective design, the engine will be able switch from gas to MDO/HFO and vice versa during operation without power interruption, the company said.
The Wärtsilä LNGPac is a complete fuel gas handling system for LNG-fuelled ships, which comprises the bunkering station, the LNG tank and related process equipment along with the control and monitoring system.
Part of Wärtsilä steerable thruster (WST) compact series, the WST-18 thrusters will offer optimal efficiency, high hydrodynamic performance, easier maintenance and reduced fuel consumption.
Image: The first LNG-fuelled harbour tug in the Middle East will be designed by Wärtsilä. Photo: courtesy of Wärtsilä.
