Each newbuild will receive five 14-cylinder Tier III compliant in gas mode Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel engines (fitted with nitrogen oxide reduction units for Tier III compliance when running on marine gas oil); two of the company's LNGPac fuel storage and supply systems; as well as seven Wärtsilä thrusters and two fixed pitch propellers.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in mid-2020 for the first ship, MSC Europa (to be launched in May 2022), and in mid-2022 for the second (2024).

"The focus of our solutions is on reducing energy and fuel consumption in order to promote efficiency. At the same time, our nitrogen oxide reduction and LNG [liquefied natural gas] solutions enhance environmental sustainability, which together with the higher efficiency, is very much in line with Wärtsilä's Smart Marine strategy," Stefan Nysjö, Vice President, Marine Power Solutions, Wärtsilä, commented.

Yves Pelpel, Technical Director, Chantiers de l'Atlantique, added to this, "These two new cruise ships will represent the latest thinking in minimising the environmental impact and reducing fuel consumption, which is in line with our Ecorizon plan, and Wärtsilä is playing a major role in this."

In addition, MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l'Atlantique have recently signed another contract, according to which two more gas-powered cruise ships will be constructed at the latter's Saint-Nazaire yard, with deliveries scheduled for 2025 and 2027, respectively. Each of the 333.3 m-long, 47 m-wide, and 68 m-tall ships will be able to provide accommodation for up to 6,761 passengers.

Photo: MSC Cruises