Wartsila LNG engines powering Japanese carriers

A total of 16 new gas carrier ships being built in Japan for Japanese owners are to be powered by Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines, the Finnish company said on Wednesday.

The dual-fuel engines are capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) or conventional diesel fuels. The contracts were all placed between the second half of 2014 and December 2015, Wärtsilä said.

The orders specify 20 nine-cylinder, 25 six-cylinder and 16 eight-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines.

This total of 61 engines that will be running primarily on LNG represents a “notable expansion of Japan’s gas fuelled merchant fleet“.

These will be the first Wärtsilä 50DF engines delivered for Japan’s LNG carrier market. The first of the Wärtsilä machinery was delivered at the end of December 2015.

According to Wärtsilä, the 16 vessels have a gas cargo capacity of between 155,000 and 180,000 cubic metres. They will be employed mainly in delivering shale gas from the USA to Japan.