Wärtsilä to supply cargo handling and fuel gas systems for five new VLECs
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, a division of the Wärtsilä technology group, has been selected to provide the cargo handling and fuel gas supply system for five new Very Large Ethane Gas Carriers (VLECs).
These vessels, commissioned by Japanese ship owner Mitsui O.S.K Lines, are being constructed at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in Korea.
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The order, which was placed in the second quarter of 2025, will facilitate the transportation of ethane from the US to Thailand.
Wärtsilä’s scope of contract encompasses engineering for the cargo handling process plant and fuel gas supply systems, as well as associated sub-systems, equipment, and instrumentation.
The supply also covers interface materials between the cargo tanks and the ship’s hull, in addition to the cargo control system.
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions will provide support to the SHI yard throughout the construction and commissioning phases of the vessels.
The delivery of Wärtsilä’s equipment is scheduled to begin in early 2027.
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions sales and marketing director Kjell Ove Ulstein said: “Repeat orders are the clearest endorsement of the importance and reliability of our systems that lead us towards a sustainable future.
“We look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to make this another successful project.”
In addition to this project, Wärtsilä has also been appointed as the electrical integrator for a major battery enhancement initiative for the Wasaline ROPAX ferry ‘Aurora Botnia’.
This project, booked in the third quarter of 2025, will see the ferry’s battery capacity increase from 2.2MWh to 12.6MWh, making it the largest operational marine battery hybrid system in the world.
