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Wärtsilä has been awarded the contract to supply the engines and propulsion equipment for six new Ro-Ro container vessels being built for NSCSA, The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia.

The ships are being built at the MIPO shipyard in South Korea, and when launched will be operated by Mideast Ship Management Ltd., a subsidiary company of NSCSA.

The scope of the integrated solution package for each of the six ships includes Wärtsilä RT-Flex 58TD engines, controllable pitch (CP) propellers, and the Wärtsilä Energopac system.

The orders for these various items have been booked on an incremental basis, the last one being the Energopac order, which was signed in September. Delivery of the equipment for the first vessel is scheduled for May 2012, and the vessels are slated for delivery from the shipyard in 2013 and 2014.

The package combines the latest common rail fuel injection and valve actuation engine technology, featuring integrated electronic control. Wärtsilä's flexible engine settings enable lower minimum running speeds, which together with the aforementioned features, offer reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions and longer intervals between overhauls.

According to Wärtsilä, fuel consumption will be further reduced by integrating the propeller and rudder design into a single unit with the installation of Wärtsilä's Energopac system. The Energopac system is designed specifically for each individual vessel, and can be optimized to achieve the maximum possible fuel savings without compromising manoeuvrability or comfort levels.

"We are delighted to have been awarded this important contract for these new Ro-Ro container vessels. It is an important segment for Wärtsilä, and NSCSA is one of the biggest shipping conglomerates in the world. The environmental sustainability and reduced operating costs of the integrated Wärtsilä propulsion solution were major factors in Wärtsilä winning this order," said Ibrahim Behairy, Director, Merchant Sales, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

"The RT-Flex engines provide smokeless operation at all speeds, and the propulsion package will enable these vessels to comply with the requirements of the IMOs Tier II regulations. The Wärtsilä RT-Flex engines offer optimum power output and shaft speeds with an extremely high degree of reliability. They can be operated for as long as three years between overhauls, and provide economical fuel consumption across the entire operating range. The engines are capable of extremely low and stable running speeds, which makes them highly applicable for container vessels that are often operated at 'slow steaming' speeds to save fuel,"Wärtsilä said.