Wärtsilä to Power New DE Tanker

Wärtsilä Corporation received a contract to supply main diesel generating sets for a 19,500 dwt product/chemical tanker being built at Shanghai Edward Shipbuilding in the People's Republic of China. Delivery of the ship is scheduled in August 2005.

Ordered by Sweden’s Rederi AB Donsötank, the newbuilding is a double-acting tanker (DAT) which is optimized for efficient ice-breaking when going astern and for efficient sailing in open water when going ahead. Propulsion is by a single electrically-driven azimuthing propeller drive.

The 9.3 MWe diesel-electric plant is powered by four generating sets; three sets with Wärtsilä 6L32 diesel engines, each with a maximum continuous output of 2,880 kWe at 750 rpm, and the fourth set with a Wärtsilä 4L20 diesel engine of 685 kWe output at 1000 rpm. The engines are scheduled for delivery from the Wärtsilä Vaasa factory in November 2004.

The three Wärtsilä 6L32 engines will be equipped with common-rail fuel injection. The shipowner has adopted common-rail injection because of it enables the engines not to emit visible smoke under any operating conditions. This will be Donsötank's fifth vessel equipped with Wärtsilä main engines. The engines have given very satisfactory experience. The first is the "Navigo", a newbuilding from 1992 with a Wärtsilä 12V32 engine. The "Credo" was re-engined in 1993 also with a Wärtsilä 12V32. The two newbuildings, "Prospero" and "Bro Sincero", were delivered by Shanghai Edward Shipbuilding in 2000 and 2002 respectively. The latter two vessels have diesel-electric plants, each with four Wärtsilä 9L20 generating sets.