Wärtsilä wins three-ship RoPax contract in Poland

Technology group Wärtsilä is to supply engines, fuel storage and supply systems for three new dual-fuel RoPax vessels to be built at Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. The ships will be operated by ferry companies, Unity Line and Polferries.

The four Wärtsilä 31DF engines on each ship will be able to run on bio-LNG, either on its own or blended with conventional LNG, but the companies plan to run the ships entirely on bio-LNG by 2025. The 195m-long vessels will have capacity for 400 passengers and 4,100 lane-metres. They will operate on the route between Swinoujscie in Poland and Ystad and Trelleborg in Sweden.

Grzegorz Wardzyński, technical director of Unity Line parent company, Polsteam, commented: “High efficiency and sustainability are essential in today’s operating environment, especially in the Baltic Sea which is an Emissions Control Area. The Wärtsilä 31 engine represents the latest engine technology available and this, coupled with Wärtsilä’s vast experience in LNG solutions, made the choice easy for us.”

Wärtsilä’s general manager, Sales, Matthias Becker, said: “Decarbonisation is a front and centre issue for the maritime sector, and this focus is reflected in the choice of the Wärtsilä engines for these ferries. Optimal engine performance is essential in maximising fuel efficiency and minimising exhaust emissions. These new vessels will become an important part of Poland’s transport infrastructure, and we are proud to be a partner to this project.”