Wärtsilä Lands System Order from Chinese Shipyard for Five New VLECs

Technology group Wärtsilä has secured an order from Jiangnan Shipyard to supply cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems for five new very large ethane carrier (VLEC) vessels.

The ships are being built for Chinese owners. The order follows a similar order for cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems placed by the yard in 2023 for four VLECs.

The new 99,000 m3 capacity VLECs are mainly designed to transport ethane, and will use ethane as fuel.

As part of the cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems scope, Wärtsilä will also provide basic and detailed engineering services, along with supervision and commissioning at the yard.

The Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment will begin in the third quarter of 2026, according to the company.

“Our strategy is always to build the most optimized, efficient, and integrated vessels possible. For this, we have opted to fit these new vessels with various technologically advanced and highly reliable solutions,” said Zhao Zhenhua, Deputy Director of Supply Department, Jiangnan Shipyard.