Wärtsilä WXJ waterjets gain catamaran reference

Powered by four Wärtsilä WXJ1200 waterjets, the ferry will be capable of a service speed of 36 knots. Launched in March, the WXJ series is designed to offer greater efficiency, with lower cavitation and underwater noise levels than with the LJX series. The small transom interface dimensions, and the best-in-class weight remain from the earlier series.

“We have worked with Wärtsilä for many years already, and we have complete confidence in their waterjets. The new WXJ series takes the performance to an even higher level, bringing even greater value to this exciting new vessel,” said Tim Burnell, CEO of Incat Tasmania.

ProTouch system

In addition to the four WXJ waterjets, Wärtsilä will supply the Wärtsilä ProTouch operational control system. The equipment is scheduled for delivery in May 2020, and the ferry is expected to be handed over to the owners in late 2020.

Wärtsilä axial waterjets are single stage, compact, high performance systems that combine mixed flow properties with an axial construction. This results in much less space being needed on the vessel’s transom, and greatly increased waterjet cavitation margins for optimum vessel operational flexibility.

For naval architects, the axial jet technology creates the possibility to apply a larger power density onto narrower hulls to achieve top vessel performance.