Norwegians go for Wärtsilä dual fuel

Wärtsilä has won the contract to supply dual fuel engines to the two offshore supply vessels which Statoil said earlier this year would run on liquefied natural gas (see The Motor Ship, September 2001). The vessels, which Statoil is chartering from Eidesvik and Simon M?nkster Shipping, will each have a diesel-electric drive system comprising four six-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 engines, outputting 2,020kW each at 720 rev/min, powering main generating sets. Wärtsilä says the engines can run simultaneously on natural gas and diesel, and can automatically switch over from gas to liquid fuel operation, while still delivering full power, should there be an interruption to the gas supply. Norwegian shipbuilder Kleven Verft will deliver the ships in 2003.