Wärtsilä tech picked for Arctic LNG 2 carriers

The Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said it has inked a deal to deliver radio and integrated navigation systems tech for ten icebreaking LNG-fueled tankers to be constructed for the Arctic LNG-2 project.

The order was placed in January 2021 with Wärtsilä Voyage, and is now in process of execution, in partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries.

The new contract is an extension of the announcement made last summer, where Wärtsilä Voyage equipped five LNG carriers with integrated bridge systems under the same project.

The vessels will operate between the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, Russia and the main European Union ports. The crew is expected to face some of the most challenging weather conditions.

“We will, therefore, be placing two bridges in the vessels’ superstructure, with one of them turned 180 degrees from the conventional position. This peculiar design will allow icebreakers to move both forward and aft, thus ensuring safe navigation under adverse Arctic climate conditions,” said Alex Van Knotsenborg, director global sales, Wärtsilä Voyage.

The contract includes the installation of a multifunction display system consisting of 12 workstations with a full set of applications, including an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), radar, conning navigation information display system, Bridge Alert Management System (BAMS), and Wärtsilä Navi-Planner for advanced route planning.

The scope of Wärtsilä solutions also includes IRIDIUM satellite communication systems. The workstations are fully integrated into a unified system, which allows the main operational functions to be duplicated, thereby improving the safety of ice navigation.

All the equipment installed onboard is fully compliant with the requirements of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) and Bureau Veritas (BV).

It is designed and tested to operate all year round in heavy Arctic conditions at temperatures down to 52°C below zero.

The installation of the equipment is scheduled for 2022-2024.

The Arctic LNG-2 project is dedicated to the production, storage and shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas condensate from the Salmanovsky gas field of the Gydan Peninsula.

The project involves the construction of three LNG production lines with a capacity of 6.6 million tons per year, as well as stable gas condensate. The total capacity of three lines is projected to be 19.8 million tons of LNG per year.