World’s first methanol battery-hybrid RO/ROs will showcase Wärtsilä tech

Stena Line's NewMax methanol battery-hybrid freight ferries will boost capacity on Belfast-Heysham Irish Sea route. {Image: StenaRoRo]

Wärtsilä has been chosen to supply an integrated hybrid propulsion system for the two new methanol battery-hybrid NewMax vessels Stena Line is to deploy on its Belfast-Heysham Irish Sea route in 2025.

On order at the China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) for Stena RoRo, the ships will be the world’s first methanol fueled hybrid RO/RO vessels .

Each vessel will be equipped with two Wärtsilä 32M multi-fuel engines that, as well as being capable of operating on methanol, will have an ammonia ready notation. Wärtsilä will also supply each vessel’s MethanolPac fuel storage, supply and control system, the gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPP), three bow thrusters, NACOS navigation system, three Wärtsilä 20 auxiliary engines, and the hybrid electric system consisting of shore power, batteries, shaft generators, converters, transformers as well as the Energy Management System making it all work together.

Each vessel will feature the Wärtsilä Hybrid Solution, optimizing the fuel consumption now and allowing for future full green operation. The vessels will also be equipped with Wärtsilä shore power solution enabling carbon-free operations when the vessels are in port.

“These vessels are a further development of our previous cargo ship concepts where the focus on sustainability and future-proofing with multi-fuel combustion engines are prioritised,” says Per Westling, managing director of Stena RoRo. “With the help of Wärtsilä’s advanced technology, we intend to have the greenest RO/RO vessels on the market.”

“We are proud to be supporting these innovative hybrid vessels with our methanol fueled engines and electrification systems,” said Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä’s Marine Power business. “Both Stena RoRo and Wärtsilä share the same commitment to decarbonizing shipping operations, and these vessels represent a further step in this direction by being the first methanol hybrid ships in their class. Not only will the emissions be minimized, but they will also have the most efficient energy utilization during operations.”

The 147 meter long methanol battery-hybrid ships will have a 2,800 lane meter capacity and will be able to accommodate a total of 37 passengers and crew. They are scheduled for delivery in June and November 2025. The Wärtsilä equipment will be delivered to the shipyard in 2024.

Wärtsilä has a strong relationship with Stena RoRo, and as early as 2015 Wärtsilä converted the Stena Germanica to operate on methanol fuel. The two companies are currently cooperating on a number of other RoPax projects.