Wärtsilä’s propulsion package handpicked by PGT

Finland’s technology giant Wärtsilä is set to supply an integrated propulsion package for a new ship being constructed for the British tanker owner and operator Pritchard-Gordon Tankers (PGT) as part of the latter’s low emissions-focused fleet renewal program.

As disclosed, the package comprises a ‘high performance’ and ‘fuel-flexible’ Wärtsilä 32 main engine, said to be fully compliant with the IMO Tier II exhaust emissions regulations.

The Finnish player further elaborated that the propulsion package—booked in Q3 2024 —is intended for the last in a series of three 10,600 dwt vessels that fall under Wärtsilä’s scope of supply. The ships were reportedly designed by FKAB Marine Design and are being built at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard’s (Yangzhou) Dingheng yard.

The equipment for the first two units—ordered back in Q3 2023—is due to be delivered by the end of this year. It is expected that the equipment for the third newbuilding will be handed over during 2025 and 2026.

Speaking about this effort, Richard Groves, New Build Manager at PGT, highlighted that the tanker sector is facing “increasing pressure” to decarbonize and that PGT is “committed” to exploring further routes concerning sustainable technologies and future fuels.

“For this reason, we are delighted to have the propulsion package supplied by Wärtsilä, a company with an outstanding track record in developing sustainable engine technology. Their support throughout the vessel design development process has been very much appreciated,” he shared.

In addition to the main engine, the package for each of the three vessels is said to include the gearbox, shaft generator system, controllable pitch propeller (CPP), the Wärtsilä EnergoPac efficiency rudder, the Wärtsilä ProTouch propulsion control system, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, and an Open Water lubricated stern tube.

As informed, the CPP—described as a ‘flexible, hybrid solution’—is intended for mechanical propulsion with medium-speed or low-speed combustion engines. The EnergoPac, a propulsion and maneuvering system, is believed to contribute to a vessel’s ability to slash fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. What is more, the SCR solution, dubbed the Wärtsilä NOx Reducer (NOR), is said to be IMO Tier III-compliant and compatible with sulfur-oxide (SOx) scrubbers, too.

“The integrated package approach is very much in demand as the industry moves rapidly towards greater efficiencies and decarbonized operations,” John Grant, Sales Manager for Newbuild, UK & Ireland, Wärtsilä Marine, remarked.

“The engine not only optimizes fuel consumption but also has the ability to operate on various types of fuel today while being an engine design platform ready for future fuel marine market requirements.”

Regarding Finland major’s sustainability-oriented engine developments, at the end of October 2024, the company introduced a new NextDF technology for its Wärtsilä 25DF liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel engine. As explained, the purpose behind the endeavor was to engineer a solution that would cut methane emissions.

Wärtsilä spotlighted that the NextDF feature was anticipated to decrease methane emissions to less than 2% of fuel use across all load points, achieving as low as 1.1% in a wide load range.

This came just days after a consortium, including Wärtsilä, was united by a ‘shared endeavor’ to create a new system for the maritime industry aimed at improving access to ‘reliable’ data to enable smarter shipping decisions related to decarbonizing fleet operations.

As understood, this EU-backed project, titled TwinShip, involves the crafting of a decision support system (DSS) that can be used when planning different setups of machinery, propulsion, and energy-saving devices for newbuilds and retrofits.