Two new cruise vessels being built for USA based Seabourn Cruise Line will feature a broad assortment of Wärtsilä propulsion, electrical and automation solutions. The ships are to be built at the Fincantieri yard in Italy. The 'Seabourn Encore' is already under construction and the 'Seabourn Ovation' is scheduled to join the Seabourn fleet in 2018. The contracts with Wärtsilä for the vessels' navigation and automation systems were signed in December 2015. The engine orders were signed in late 2014 and in the third quarter of 2015.
The comprehensive range of Wärtsilä navigation, automation and sensor systems to be installed on these vessels includes the Wärtsilä Nacos Platinum and Wärtsilä Valmatic Platinum systems. Wärtsilä will also deliver consoles for the bridge and engine control room, including a video wall. Also to be delivered by Wärtsilä is a tank level and flood detection system, as well as the valve remote control.
The scope of supply also includes a complete Wärtsilä electrical propulsion system. For each of the vessels, Wärtsilä will supply four Wärtsilä 32 engines. The ships will be fitted with two 6 MW, low noise, diesel-electric propulsion units featuring a combination of innovative frequency converter design and redundant layouts. Wärtsilä will also supply four thruster drives for the bow and stern, four diesel alternators, four AC motors for the thrusters, two dedicated 6.6 kV switchboards for high voltage distribution, and four transformers for low voltage mains supply.
"Modern cruise vessels are highly complex with unique operational requirements and Wärtsilä has developed its technologies accordingly to meet these demanding requirements. We are, therefore, extremely pleased to have been once again chosen to provide our state-of-the-art systems for an important cruise vessel operator," says Maik Stoevhase, Director, Automation, Navigation and Control, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
The Wärtsilä Nacos Platinum solution integrates all navigation and automation system controls into a single system that enables the vessel to be navigated, controlled, and monitored from various onboard positions. The truly multi-functional work stations provide combined displays of radar, ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) and conning information, as well as automatic steering and voyage planning operations.
Additionally, and on a similar product platform, the Wärtsilä Valmatic Platinum integrated automation system controls all onboard machinery, with added capabilities for vessel power management and integrated management. Complete management control is maintained via a dedicated communications network connected to multi-purpose work stations in the engine control room and on the bridge.