Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Roger Holm heads up Wärtsilä Marine<br />
Power and is a member of the Group’s<br />
Board of Management. He promises to<br />
do his utmost to achieve these strategic<br />
targets.<br />
“There are a lot of question marks surrounding<br />
the future of shipping. There’s no silver bullet solution<br />
that will solve all of its problems. However,<br />
I see technology offering a range of alternatives<br />
for smarter shipping. We no longer need to wait<br />
– some of the future’s answers are already here,”<br />
says Holm.<br />
He thinks that four major issues are affecting<br />
shipping at the moment: fuel flexibility, energy<br />
efficiency, smart solutions (connectivity) and,<br />
last but not least, safety.<br />
“Over the past few years, global warming and<br />
the IMO’s emission limits have raised debate<br />
about fuels and energy efficiency to a new level.<br />
We’re thinking about cleaner fuels all the time.<br />
For example, I believe in the growing use of LNG<br />
and its long future as a marine fuel, and Wärtsilä<br />
also has a great deal of expertise in this area.”<br />
Holm says that, as a renewable fuel, biogas<br />
(LBG) will rise alongside LNG, which is a fossil<br />
fuel. And there are plenty of other interesting<br />
and effective alternatives for both energy production<br />
and shipping’s future fuel mixes – ammonia,<br />
electricity and hydrogen to name but a few.<br />
“Engine technology itself is not the greatest<br />
challenge. Wärtsilä’s ship engines run on a variety<br />
of fuels and also utilise hybrid solutions. It will<br />
ultimately be a question of fuel prices and availability.<br />
On an industrial scale, distribution chains<br />
cannot be created quickly,” says Holm.<br />
One good example of a hybrid solution is the<br />
energy solution being supplied by Wärtsilä Marine<br />
for m/s Aurora Botnia. This ferry is scheduled<br />
for completion in spring <strong>2021</strong> and will be<br />
operated by the shipping company NLC Ferry<br />
Ab Oy. Its main fuel will be LNG, but it will also<br />
be able to run on biogas. Aurora Botnia will be<br />
equipped with Wärtsilä’s 31DF dual-fuel hybrid<br />
solution and rechargeable batteries, thanks to<br />
which it will significantly lower its carbon footprint<br />
at sea and reach almost zero emissions in<br />
ports.<br />
These features will make Aurora Botnia one of<br />
the most environmentally friendly ropax vessels<br />
in its size class in the world. The ferry will be able<br />
to accommodate 800 passengers, with 1,500 lane<br />
metres for vehicles and cargo. ›<br />
” FOS<br />
technologies<br />
form one<br />
of the<br />
Group’s<br />
strategic<br />
cornerstones.<br />
29
Change language