Wärtsilä power solutions selected for gas-fuelled Stena RoRo trio

The vessels, each around 200 metres long, are part of a series of E-Flexer class ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for European line service. For each ship Wärtsilä will supply Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel main engines, Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel auxiliary engines, two gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPP), the tunnel thrusters, and the fuel gas supply system.

Wärtsilä will also supply the ships with Nacos navigation and automation, as well as integrated control alarm and monitoring system MCS Platinum together with the performance monitoring system. The vessels will also feature Wärtsilä’s Smart Panoramic Edge Camera System, eliminating blind spots and creating a 360°, birds-eye view of the ships surroundings, offering a significant advantage when docking. 

Wärtsilä is working closely with Stena RoRo to ensure that one of the vessels meets DNV’s Silent-E class notification. This recognises that underwater noise from the vessel is controlled to protect vulnerable environments and involves careful configuration and design of propulsion and onboard equipment to offer low noise while maintaining high efficiency. 

The vessels are under construction at China Merchants Jinling (Weihai) Shipyard and are expected to be delivered in 2024 and 2025. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard commencing in Q4 2022. 

The use of LNG as a marine fuel is viewed by Wärtsilä as being an important transitional solution in the drive towards decarbonising shipping. LNG bridges the gap between conventional diesel fuels and future zero-carbon alternatives yet to be widely available, a decarbonisation strategy fully supported by both Wärtsilä and Stena Line. 

Stena RoRo specialises in custom-built vessels, as well as standardised RoRo and RoPax vessels. The company leases about 15 vessels to operators worldwide, both to other Stena companies and third parties.