Wärtsilä Launches Large Bore, Medium Speed 46TS-DF Marine Engine

Wärtsilä launched the 46TS-DF medium-speed marine engine.

The first order for this engine type was placed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique for Royal Caribbean Cruises in April 2021. The engines will be installed on their latest Oasis class ship ‘Utopia of the Seas’. The ship is being built by the shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique and will feature six Wärtsilä 46TS-DF engines with Gas Valve Units, NOx Reducer SCR systems, LNGPac and Transverse Thrusters.

“Cutting-edge efficiency and leading environmental performance are crucial factors when designing our new ships,” says Harri Kulovaara, EVP Newbuilding and Innovation, Royal Caribbean Group. “We were delighted to work with Wärtsilä – as well as with the shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique - from an early stage in development to make sure these engines are the ideal fit to power the latest addition to our fleet while advancing our sustainability journey.”

The overriding basis for this new engine launch is to be able to offer a future-proof solution for owners and operators to reach decarbonization targets. The Wärtsilä 46TS-DF has a two-stage turbocharging to deliver high levels of efficiency and power density across a wide operational range for vessels in all segments of the industry. This level of efficiency reduces fuel consumption and lowers emissions, while being easily retrofittable for future carbon-neutral and carbon-free fuels as they become widely available.

Development of the Wärtsilä 46TS-DF engine has been based on experience gained from the company’s Wärtsilä 46, 46F, and 50 engine families. It is available in 6 to 16-cylinder configurations, corresponding to a power output range of 7.8 to 20.8 MW at 600 rpm. It features an intrinsically modular design, which simplifies upgradability and modifications for alternative future fuels.

The dual-fuel Wärtsilä 46TS-DF engine can run LNG.