Wärtsilä powers New Zealand warships

Wärtsilä has won contracts in the beginning of the year for propulsion systems for the seven-vessel Project Protector of the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The main contractor for the project is the Australian defence supplier Tenix Defence Pty Ltd, on behalf of the New Zealand Ministry of Defence. The project is for the supply of seven vessels comprising of a 131m multi-role vessel (MRV), two 85m offshore patrol vessels (OPV) and four 55m inshore patrol vessels (IPV). They will be delivered from December 2006 onwards.

The vessels are intended for military and civilian roles in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), in the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean. As well as serving their military roles, they will conduct tasks for and with NZ Customs, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Fisheries, NZ Maritime Safety Authority and the NZ Police. The vessels will be used for sea-lifting personnel and cargo, emergency response, and fisheries and customs patrols. Both the MRV and OPVs will be strengthened to ice class 1C for service in the Ross Sea off Antarctica, and will also carry helicopters. The MRV will have a Ro-Ro capability with both stern ramp and side door for light armoured vehicles and other equipment, and will be equipped with two landing crafts.

The 131m-long MRV is being supplied to Tenix by the Merwede Shipyard in the Netherlands. It will be powered by two nine-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 32 engines with a combined power output of 9,000 kW. Wärtsilä is also supplying twin Lips 4D1000 controllable-pitch propellers, two Lips CT175H transverse thrusters, one forward and one aft, and Deep Sea Seals stern tube bearings and seals.

The OPVs and IPVs will be constructed at Tenix shipyards in Australia and New Zealand. For these ships, Wärtsilä will supply Lips controllable-pitch propellers, shaftlines and Deep Sea Seals stern tube and bulkhead seals. The 85m-long OPVs will each have two Lips 5C09 propellers and a Lips CT150H bow thruster, along with Deep Sea Seals stern tube seals and bulkhead seals. The 55m-long IPVs will each have two Lips 4D550 propellers and Deep Sea Seals stern tube seals.