Wärtsilä to supply LNG dual-fuel engines for floating LNG vessel off Louisiana

The LNG dual-fuel engines will power a vessel scheduled to enter service in early 2030, which will be capable of disconnecting and sailing to safety when hurricanes threaten.

IMAGE: Illustration of LNG dual-fuel floating LNG (FLNG) vessel. Wärtsilä

Finnish engine maker Wärtsilä will supply three dual-fuel engines to power the first floating LNG (FLNG) vessels that South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries is building for the US-based Delfin LNG project.

The engines can run on LNG as well as conventional marine fuels.

Wärtsilä booked the order in the second quarter of this year. Deliveries are scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2027, and the first vessel is due to enter operation in early 2030.

The vessel will be deployed at the Port Delfin LNG project, about 40 nautical miles off Louisiana, where existing onshore and offshore gas pipelines will feed it. Being able to “disconnect in case of a hurricane warning and sail to a safe location” is essential off Louisiana, said Björn Axfors, lead engineer for hull and marine at Delfin.

CMA CGM contracted the engine maker last month to supply 36 LNG dual-fuel engines for 12 container ships. This week, Wärtsilä said it had converted one engine on each of three Chevron LNG carriers to curb methane slip.

By Tuhin Roy

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