Wärtsilä wins ten-year ferry service contract

French ferry operator, Corsica Linea, has signed up Wärtsilä in a ten-year Guaranteed Asset Performance (GAP) agreement for its new RoPax ferry, A Galeotta, built at Italy’s Visentini shipyard and commissioned in January this year.  

The 206m-long LNG-fuelled vessel operates between Marseille and Corsica using two Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel main engines and two Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel auxiliaries. 

The GAP agreement covers scheduled maintenance of the main and auxiliary engines, the LNGPac fuel gas handling system, and the gas valve units. Maintenance is undertaken based on data-driven dynamic maintenance planning principles, the technology company said. This means that overhaul intervals can be optimised and maintenance carried out as needed.

Constant attention to operational data from the engines detects any deviation, enabling issues to be resolved using advanced diagnostics and machine learning, Wärtsilä explained. The agreement includes field service support and covers time for main engine overhauls.

Corsica Linea’s technical director, Lionel Adenet, said: “Wärtsilä’s vast experience in LNG systems and solutions is unmatched in the industry, and their engines and related equipment were selected for this vessel. It is entirely natural, therefore, that we look to them to undertake the maintenance responsibilities, for which they are uniquely qualified.”