Fuel Efficiency of Wärtsilä Engine 31 is Key for Canadian Polar Icebreaker

[By: Wärtsilä]

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the engines for a new Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker. The ship is being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. Because of the long operational range required for the vessel’s employment in arctic waters, fuel efficiency was a prime design consideration in the selection of the Wärtsilä 31 engine. The Wärtsilä 31 engine has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine and was therefore considered an obvious choice. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in Q3 2023.

The 158 metre-long multi-mission Polar Icebreaker will operate under PC2 conditions with four 16-cylinder and two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 31 engines, delivering 47 MW of power. The engines will be fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems for IMO Tier III environmental compliance. Wärtsilä will also supply the centre shaft line with a stainless-steel ice-class propeller, as well as Wärtsilä’s NACOS Platinum navigation system.

“Wärtsilä has a fine track record and years of experience in delivering high-class marine technologies including recently delivering the propulsion equipment for the Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV), plus the diesel generator sets for the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) built at Seaspan for the Canadian Coast Guard,” commented Leo Martin, Senior Vice President – Programs, Seaspan Shipyards.

“The fuel efficiency of the Wärtsilä 31 engine was a determining factor in the award of this prestigious contract. However, equally important was our project delivery experience and service support across Canada. Furthermore, our previous cooperation with both the Canadian Coast Guard and Seaspan has been very successful, and we are honoured to be again working with them,” said Simon Riddle, General Manager, Naval Sales – Wärtsilä.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard in 2025. When built, the new vessel will be the Canadian Coast Guard’s largest icebreaker and will replace ‘CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent’, which is due to retire at the end of the decade after 60 years of service. Seaspan Shipyards is known as a world class builder of high technology ice class vessels.