Wärtsilä Powers Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas
STX Europe’s shipyard in Turku, Finland recenlty handed over Oasis of the Seas to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL). The 360 meters long vessel is powered by a total of six Wärtsilä 46 engines, three 12-cylinder and three 16-cylinder engines, generating more than 96 MW. The vessel is also equipped with four 5.5 MW Wärtsilä bow thrusters, which are among the largest in the world.
Wärtsilä’s engines are equipped with common rail technology, which provides an important and visible advantage. As the combustion and other process parameters can be adjusted for lower load ranges, smoke emissions can be reduced. The Wärtsilä bow thrusters make the vessel easy to operate. They have a combined power output of 22 MW. In fact, the bow thrusters alone have more power than is installed on a normal cargo ship.
Propelling a vessel 360 metres long, 65 metres wide and carrying up to 8500 people – 2165 of them crew members – is no small achievement. The vessel’s air-conditioning systems, production of 50 tons of ice cubes each day, and heating the water in the 21 swimming pools and Jacuzzis, together consume several megawatts of power. As does carrying all the supplies needed for a seven-day cruise.
The engines are essentially a power plant that produces electricity, which is then used to run everything on board. The majority is used for propelling the vessel, but this floating holiday destination also has many other energy users. Wärtsilä worked with Royal Caribbean on this project for several years and their relationship goes back several decades. Most of the Royal Caribbean ships have featured Wärtsilä equipment and the Oasis of the Sea is no exception.
For more information: www.wartsila.com
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