Wärtsilä bags tech order for ethane-fueled VLECs

The Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply the cargo handling and fuel supply system for two new 98,000 cbm Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLEC).

The vessels are being built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in South Korea, with an option for a third vessel.

This order follows a similar contract awarded in 2019 for three VLECs, also under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries.

These specialized ships will also feature Wärtsilä’s tailormade reliquefaction unit and a unique high-pressure ethane fuel supply system.

The entire system will also feature Wärtsilä’s in-house developed remote monitoring and diagnosis tool Operim.

The new contract comes as an addition to Wärtsilä’s many previous contracts with SHI, featuring among other contracts, solutions for cargo handling systems, LNG reliquefaction and regasification and VOC recovery systems.