Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines selected for Ibaizabal’s new LNG bunkering vessel
Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has received an order to supply dual-fuel engines with methane emissions reduction technology for a new 18,600 cubic meter (cbm) LNG bunkering vessel being built for Spanish operator Ibaizabal.
The order encompasses three Wärtsilä 25DF dual-fuel engines with the company’s NextDF technology, which is said to “dramatically” reduce methane emissions when operating with LNG fuel.
According to Wärtsilä, the NextDF feature reduces methane emissions, achieving as low as 1.1% in a wide load range, and enables lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions than on the standard Wärtsilä 25DF engine which already has low emission levels below IMO Tier III.
In addition to the engines, the scope of order also includes two Wärtsilä Steerable Thrusters (WST) which will deliver “superior hydrodynamic performance for maximum propulsion efficiency and dynamic positioning capability”.
The delivery of equipment is scheduled to commence in September 2025 to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China where the LNG bunkering vessel is being constructed.
The vessel with a full-rotation electric propulsion system, dual-fuel engines, and natural gas incineration devices that support high-inert gas treatment and other environmental protection equipment was ordered in 2024.
Developed and designed by Hudong-Zhonghua, the newbuild will be 135.9 meters long and 24.5 meters wide.
The ship is expected to be delivered by the end of 2026.
