In 2016, less than four years from now, the IMO Tier III rules will enter into force, imposing a severe reduction in NOx emissions. The restrictions will apply to important designated areas, such as the Baltic Sea and the USA coastal waters. We, as total marine solution providers, think that if conventional fuel is used, the means for complying with such regulations cannot be found on the endothermic prime mover. Post- treatment of the exhaust gases will probably be the most popular solution. An alternative answer is to simply change the fuel from diesel to LNG. More than 100 vessels in merchant, offshore and ferry applications are successfully operating on gas. To stretch the concept onto a demanding niche, Wärtsilä has developed a project, in cooperation with Fincantieri and Studio Pastrovich, for a 99 m  megayacht called Xvintage, running on dual fuel technology.  We will show the advantages and technical features of this solution.

Fuel flexibility allows owners and operators to opt for the most suitable fuel (natural gas, marine diesel oil, heavy fuel oil) taking into account local environmental restrictions, fuel price variations and fuel bunkering possibilities.

Starting from the challenging Xvintage story, we can show why LNG is going to be the environmental-friendly choice for many future installations:

Lower NOx and CO2 emissions; Lean burn concept (Otto cycle, low combustion temperature); No SOx emissions: sulphur is removed from fuel when liquefied.

Besides very low particulate emissions, no visible smoke, no sludge deposits.

On board storage of LNG can be safe and convenient. We can show the advantage of transporting LNG liquefied at cryogenic temperatures, how bunkering operations can take place and re-designed engine room spaces ready to host the tanks and the gas valve unit.