TECHNOLOGY group Wärtsilä says it is to supply its Hybrid Power Conversion system for three new ro-ro ferries being built at the Nanjing Jinling shipyard in China.

The 238-metre ships are being built for Finnlines, part of the Italian Grimaldi Group and the order with Wärtsilä was placed in the 2019 fourth quarter.

The hybrid solution, which is said to include a 5000 kWh energy storage system, is to enable these ships to operate with zero emissions while in port.

“Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine approach to technology development aims at delivering highly efficient solutions with minimal impact on the environment,” said Mikael Lindholm, head of newbuilding at Finnlines.

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“This order is one more example of how we turn this approach into practical and reliable reality.”

The new ferries are expected to be among the most environmentally sustainable ships of their type.

Finnlines is a frontrunner in the development of hybrid power ships, of marine battery packs and energy management.

“Finnlines aims at meeting well on time all the ambitious environmental targets set by the IMO and by the international community for shipping,” said Emanuele Grimaldi, Finnlines CEO. Wärtsilä’s equipment, which also includes in-line shaft generators, power take-off/take in converters, and transformers, is scheduled for delivery to the yard in the second half of 2020.