Wartsila will supply an integrated hybrid propulsion system for two new hybrid RoRo vessels. The ships are being built at the China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) for the Swedish shipping company Stena RoRo.

The ships will be the world’s first methanol fuelled hybrid RoRo vessels and will operate in the Stena Line Irish Sea system.

The combination of new sustainable fuels and electrification is in line with the company’s sustainable operations target. Part of the order was booked by Wartsila in Q2 2023, while the remaining order was booked in Q3 2023.

Each vessel will be equipped with two Wartsila 32M multi-fuel engines capable now of operating on methanol fuel and with ammonia ready notation.

Wartsila will also supply the MethanolPac fuel storage, supply and control system, the gearboxes, two controllable pitch propellers (CPP), three bow thrusters, the NACOS navigation system, three Wartsila 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 also benefit from the Wartsila Hybrid Solution, optimising the fuel consumption today and allowing for future full green operation.

The vessels will also be equipped with Wartsila 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.

The 147-m-long ships will have 2,800 lane metre 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 Wartsila equipment will be delivered to the yard in 2024.

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