Wärtsilä Scrubbers for Finnlines Vessels

Finnlines, a Ro-Ro and passenger vessel operator with services in the North and Baltic Seas, has contracted Wärtsilä to supply three vessels with exhaust cleaning scrubber systems.

The deal marks a repeat order for Wärtsilä, following a similar contract from Finnlines in 2014 to have six of its ships fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems.

Part of the Grimaldi Group, Finnlines' passenger-freight vessels offer services from Germany to Finland and Sweden, as well as from Sweden via the Åland Islands to Finland.

Tapani Voionmaa, Group General Counsel, Finnlines Plc., called the latest order an important step toward having Finnlines’ entire Baltic fleet equipped with scrubbers.

The system selected for the three vessels is Wärtsilä's Hybrid in-line scrubber system, which provides flexibility to operate in both open and closed loop modes. Furthermore, the compact in-line version provides an efficient space and weight saving solution, Wärtsilä said.

The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) sulphur oxide emissions regulations came into effect from the beginning of 2015.The Wärtsilä systems clean the exhaust, thereby enabling the ships to continue operating on heavy fuel oil. The Wärtsilä scrubber systems also comply with the water discharge criteria set by regulators.