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Two new 78-metre purser/trawler fishing vessels being designed and built at Karstensen Shipyard in Denmark are to feature Wärtsilä's main propulsion and control equipment. The ships have been contracted by Lunar Fishing, the Scotland-based fishing company, and are due to operate in the North Sea.

For each vessel, Wärtsilä's scope of supply includes a 9-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 32 engine, a 2-speed gear with power take-off function (PTO), a Wärtsilä Controllable Pitch propeller 4E1095 complete with shaft line, seals and bearings, stern tube, high performance nozzle (HP-Nozzle) and the new Wärtsilä Protouch propulsion control system. The equipment for the first vessel is scheduled be delivered at the end of 2015, and for the second vessel in the summer of 2016.

According to Wärtsilä, the selected propulsion package features a number of "important benefits" that were key considerations in the award of the contract. "The combination of the well proven [sic, recte well-proven] Wärtsilä 32 engine, which combines outstanding output power of 580 kW per cylinder with excellent fuel efficiency, with the company's new 2-speed gear solution offers both operating cost (OPEX) savings and high overall propulsion efficiency. Similarly, Wärtsilä's latest technology propulsion control system ensures ease of operation and easy integration with other onboard systems. The touch screen control system was the winner of the prestigious Red Dot design award in 2013," Wärtsilä said.

The Wärtsilä 2-speed gear is designed to offer both economic and environmental benefits, particularly for fishing boats and other vessels having multiple operational modes or reduced transit speed. The SCV 112/2 gear selected for these vessels is currently the largest in Wärtsilä's 2-speed gear portfolio. It features two gear ratio settings in order to facilitate a reduced propeller speed at an optimal and constant engine speed. This is said to allow the electric power generation for the PTO on the gear to remain uninterrupted in both trawling and transit modes, while maintaining high propeller efficiency at all times. Furthermore, the hydro-acoustic noise is reduced when operating at low propeller rpm, which improves the vessel's fishing capabilities, Wärtsilä said.

"These vessels will represent the state-of-art for fishing applications. The excellent fuel efficiency and operational flexibility that is made possible by the integrated Wärtsilä propulsion system will produce fuel cost savings and greater operating efficiency," commented Alex Buchan, Skipper & Vessel Owner, Lunar Fishing.

The Wärtsilä order was placed in September 2014. According to the Finnish firm, Lunar Fishing has been a Wärtsilä customer for more than 20 years, and the company's fleet already incorporates a number of Wärtsilä propulsion solutions.

Image: Illustration of a new fishing vessel for the Scotland-based fishing company Lunar Fishing, which is to feature Wärtsilä's main propulsion and control equipment.