Stolt Tankers has chosen to buy the complete main propulsion systems for six new chemical tankers it is having built by China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group from Finland’s Wärtsilä. The packages will consist of Wärtsilä RT-flex50 two-stroke main engines along with controllable pitch propellers, tunnel gearboxes and shaft generators.
The combination of a two-stroke engine and shaft generator requires optimal coordination between the engine and propulsion controls, which is facilitated by having all systems supplied and delivered from the same source. Each of the 38,000dwt tankers will measure 185m by 32.26m and will have 43 stainless steel tanks with a total volume of 44,000m3.
They will also have IMO I, II and III capabilities and will be able to handle the full range of difficult-to-handle liquid cargoes that Stolt specialises in. The first of the ships is expected to be delivered in December 2015, with the others following through 2016. JS
