Wärtsilä supplies power package for Brazilian Navy ship

An Antarctic support vessel being built for the Brazilian Navy at Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz shipyard is to have a range of power-related systems supplied by technology group Wärtsilä. They will include three Wärtsilä 32 diesel generating sets, a diesel-electric power conversion unit, two bow thruster drives, and a Power Management System.

The Polar vessel, Navio Polar Almirante Saldanha (NPo), will be operated by the Brazilian Navy and is of strategic importance in maintaining the country’s presence in the Antarctic and ensuring the continuity of research undertaken at the Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station. The low-emission and energy-efficient systems will combine good fuel economy with high redundancy and long times between overhauls, Wärtsilä said.

Navio Polar project manager, Maicon Batista Pinto, commented: "With the company’s long-standing and extensive experience in marine technology, we trust Wärtsilä to deliver high quality and reliability in all their products and systems. These specialised vessels require superior performance, and we are confident that the Wärtsilä solutions selected will meet this requirement.ˮ

Simon Riddle, Wärtsilä‘s general manager Naval Sales, said: "We are very proud that Jurong has put their trust in Wärtsilä to be the supplier of this extensive solution for the Antarctic support vessel. Thanks to Wärtsilä’s advanced technologies, the overall Wärtsilä solution has been optimised to provide the best possible efficiency for the Brazilian Navy’s operations. This efficiency will also minimise emissions, which is in line with our core strategy of enhancing sustainability wherever possible.ˮ

The order is being booked by Wärtsilä during the third quarter of this year; the equipment will start to be delivered in 2024; and the vessel will be commissioned in 2025.