Wärtsilä 31 engines paired with waterjets for Baltic fast ferry

The solution features four Wärtsilä 31 engines and four high-performance Wärtsilä WXJ1500SRI waterjets. The technology company is also supplying its ProTouch bridge controls system to the vessel.

“This combination of the Wärtsilä 31 engine and WXJ waterjets is unique for fast ferries, delivering exceptional fuel efficiency, reliability, quality and performance. This is an exciting project, and we are honoured to have been selected to provide the level of propulsion demanded,” says Stefan Nysjö, Marine Power Solutions, Wärtsilä Marine.

The 115m-long large ferry will operate on Molslinjen’s route between Ystad in Sweden and the Danish port of Rønne on the island of Bornholm. The ferry will be capable of carrying 1610 passengers, and will have space for 450 cars or 617 lane metres for trucks plus 257 cars. It will have an operating service speed of close to 37 knots.

“The size of the vessel, together with the speed and propulsion efficiency makes this a very special project. It will be, by volume, the largest ferry ever built in our shipyards, and it will offer a powerful, yet economical and environmentally-friendly solution,” says Wayne Murray, President Austal Philippines.

“We have Wärtsilä waterjets on several of our fast ferries, so we are familiar with the quality and performance they deliver. We are also familiar with the Wärtsilä 31 engine, which is really in a class of its own in regards to efficiency,” says Flemming Kristensen, Technical Director, Molslinjen.

The Wärtsilä WXJ waterjet series was introduced in 2019 as the successor to the company’s successful LJX series.