China Oilfield Services Co Ltd (COSL) will equip 12 LNG-fuelled platform supply vessels with 40 Wärtsilä dual-fuel generating sets. Eight of the platform supply vessels (PSVs) are on order or under construction at the Wuchang Shipbuilding Heavy Industry yard, with the remaining four being built at the Liaonan Shipyard in China.
A majority-owned subsidiary of state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation, COSL will be the first Chinese owner to have dual-fuel PSVs.
The 40 Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines are scheduled to be delivered to the shipyards at the end of 2019. The Wärtsilä dual-fuel engine capability will allow the vessels to be operated on either conventional liquid marine fuels (light fuel oil, heavy fuel oil or biofuel) or LNG.
When operating in gas mode, the Wärtsilä engine is compliant with IMO Tier III regulations without any secondary exhaust gas purification systems. Also, when fuelled by natural gas, the engines emit singificantly less sulphur oxides and CO2 emissions than when operating on liquid marine fossil fuels.
In liquid fuel oil mode, the Wärtsilä 20DF engines are fully compliant with the IMO Tier II exhaust emissions regulations set out in Annex VI of the Marpol 73/78 convention. The engine is able to operate on low sulphur fuels (<0.1% sulphur), making it suitable for operation in emission control areas.
“Efficiency and environmental sustainability are key pillars of Wärtsilä’s approach to creating customer value,” said Wärtsilä Marine segment sales director Henrik Wilhelms. “The choice of the Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuelled engine for this major project reflects these values, and we are proud to maintain our leading position in this market by being selected for China’s first LNG-fuelled PSVs,” said Mr Wilhelms.
“More and more ships are being built for use with LNG fuel, and we see these 12 ships as part of a trend that will continue to grow,” said COSL Shipping’s shipbuilding project management team manager Liu Hui. Dual-fuel engines from Wärtsilä were chosen because of the company’s “experience and know-how in LNG fuel solutions.”
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