Stena Line’s NewMax methanol battery-hybrid freight ferries will increase capability on Belfast-Heysham Irish Sea route. {Image: StenaRoRo]
Wärtsilä has been chosen to provide an built-in hybrid propulsion system for the 2 new methanol battery-hybrid NewMax vessels Stena Line is to deploy on its Belfast-Heysham Irish Sea route in 2025.
On order on the China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) for Stena RoRo, the ships would be the world’s first methanol fueled hybrid RO/RO vessels .
Each vessel shall be geared up with two Wärtsilä 32M multi-fuel engines that, in addition to being able to working on methanol, may have an ammonia prepared notation. Wärtsilä will even provide every vessel’s MethanolPac gas storage, provide and management system, the gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPP), three bow thrusters, NACOS navigation system, three Wärtsilä 20 auxiliary engines, and the hybrid electrical system consisting of shore energy, batteries, shaft turbines, converters, transformers in addition to the Energy Management System making all of it work collectively.
Each vessel will function the Wärtsilä Hybrid Solution, optimizing the gas consumption now and permitting for future full inexperienced operation. The vessels will even be geared up with Wärtsilä shore energy resolution enabling carbon-free operations when the vessels are in port.
“These vessels are a further development of our previous cargo ship concepts where the focus on sustainability and future-proofing with multi-fuel combustion engines are prioritised,” says Per Westling, managing director of Stena RoRo. “With the help of Wärtsilä’s advanced technology, we intend to have the greenest RO/RO vessels on the market.”
“We are proud to be supporting these innovative hybrid vessels with our methanol fueled engines and electrification systems,” stated Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä’s Marine Power enterprise. “Both Stena RoRo and Wärtsilä share the same commitment to decarbonizing shipping operations, and these vessels represent a further step in this direction by being the first methanol hybrid ships in their class. Not only will the emissions be minimized, but they will also have the most efficient energy utilization during operations.”
The 147 meter lengthy methanol battery-hybrid ships may have a 2,800 lane meter capability and can be capable of accommodate a complete of 37 passengers and crew. They are scheduled for supply in June and November 2025. The Wärtsilä gear shall be delivered to the shipyard in 2024.
Wärtsilä has a powerful relationship with Stena RoRo, and as early as 2015 Wärtsilä transformed the Stena Germanica to function on methanol gas. The two firms are at present cooperating on various different RoPax initiatives.
