Wärtsilä To Deliver Engines For Polar Vessel
Wärtsilä has signed a contract with the STX Finland Oy shipyard in Rauma, Finland, to deliver four Wärtsilä 32 engines for a Polar Supply and Research Vessel. The Owner of the vessel will be the Republic of South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs, and it will be operated by SMIT Amandla Marine of South Africa. The vessel’s crew will be trained at the Wärtsilä Land and Sea Academy in Turku, Finland.
This vessel order is one of the biggest single trade agreements ever between Finnish industry and South Africa, and we hope it will lead to additional business. We believe that by providing reliable technology and the highest levels of quality and service, we will benefit also in the future,” says Mr Timo Suistio, Director, Rauma shipyard of STX Finland Oy.
The ice-strengthened vessel will be powered by four 6-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 32 engines. It will be approximately 134 m long and will have accommodation for 45 crew and about 100 researchers and passengers. Construction of the vessel began in January 2010 and will be launched in March 2012. Wärtsilä’s engine deliveries are scheduled to take place in February 2011.