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www.ecochlor.com World’s largest aluminum cat will have Wärtsilä propulsion

Lithuanian designer unveils plans for electric push boat

WÄRTSILÄ is to supply the engines, waterjets, and fuel storage and supply system for what will be the world’s largest aluminum catamaran ferry, a 2,100 passenger/226 car vessel ordered at Incat Tasmania Pty by Argentinian ferry operator, Buquebus.

The 130- by 32-meter vessel will operate between Argentina and Uruguay with Wärtsilä’s 31 dual-fuel engine technology, using primarily LNG fuel produced at Buquebus’s own LNG plant. It will also incorporate shaft e-motors powered via the main engine gearboxes.

Wärtsilä’s full scope of supply comprises four Wärtsilä 31DF dual-fuel engines, four Wärtsilä WXJ1500SR waterjets, and two Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage, supply and propulsion control systems. The equipment will be delivered to the shipyard commencing in mid-2023.

THE EUROPEAN UNION is seeking to move more cargo from roads to inland waterways using greener vessels. Lithuanian ship designer Western Baltic Engineering (WBE), part of the Western Shipyard Group, has come up with a solution to the “greener vessels” part.

It has unveiled plans for an electric push boat vessel it calls the Electric Eel. The first will be built next year for the Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority.

Pending class Approval in Principle with Bureau Veritas, the Electric Eel is designed to have a range of 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) before needing to stop, the 26 meters long vessel is powered by three DNV approved batteries with a combined weight of 74 tonnes, two held in TEU containers on deck that can be replaced via crane at harbor, and one permanent battery below deck that can be charged at quayside.

The vessel has a pushing capacity of 2,000 tonnes and a top speed of 22 km/h downstream at 85% engine load. The electric batteries deliver an engine power of 500 hp/400 kW compared to an equivalent diesel pusher’s 1,000 hp/800 kW.

“The biggest challenge we faced was weight and draft,” says WBE’s head of sales and marketing Egl Mikalauskien . “The Lithuanian inland waterway is presently very shallow, so we had to design a vessel that was as light as possible, no more than 195 dwt, with a draft not greater than 1.2 meters. So we have created a super-efficient hull design that will operate brilliantly on shallow waters in Europe and around the world. Through trial and error using rigorous computerized fluid dynamic (CFD) testing, we have produced the smoothest possible hull resistance. We’re also using thin lighter steel, approved by class, to reduce weight while at the same time keeping safety of paramount importance. In addition, we have innovated the wheelhouse, using a jack up design made of aluminum, again to spread and reduce weight.”

Another innovation on board is the use of a wind turbine to generate 5 kW of additional electricity for lighting, the galley and crew facilities.