Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Wärtsilä to supply engines and scrubbers for Virgin Voyages newbuilds

73765d989ee3826c1a9161b4aefebd74
Virgin Voyages ceo and president Tom McAlpin and svp marine & technical Stuart Hawkins flank Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson
Wärtsilä solutions have been selected by Virgin Voyages to power its trio of cruise ships under construction at Fincantieri.

Each will be powered by two eight-cylinder and two 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines. The Wärtsilä Hybrid Scrubber System has the flexibility to operate in both open and closed loop modes using seawater to remove sulphur oxides from the exhaust.

Significant reductions in the emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates will be made possible by the Wärtsilä SCR system. Wärtsilä will also handle the commissioning of the engines and scrubber systems in cooperation with the shipyard.

Navigation and automation controls for the vessels will be handled by Wärtsilä's Nacos Platinum solution. By integrating various control and monitoring systems, such as those for navigation, automation, emergency shutdown, flood detection, plus power and propulsion, the vessels can be operated homogeneously from various on-board positions.

'It is an honour for Wärtsilä to have been selected to provide such a comprehensive range of solutions for this high profile travel business brand now entering the cruise sector. It represents further endorsement of the quality of our offering and the benefits of our capabilities as a single-source supplier,' says Fred Danska, director, cruise business, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

'We are very pleased to be able to partner Wärtsilä for our first series of ships. Their technical expertise, commitment to supporting our sustainability goals, and excellent reputation made them the best choice for us. Virgin Voyages is committed to creating a sea change, Wärtsilä shares our vision and will help make it a reality,' says Stuart Hawkins, svp, marine & technical, Virgin Voyages.

Florida-based Virgin Voyages' cruises will commence in 2020 from Miami with the first ship. The other two vessels will be delivered in 2021 and 2022.