Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to provide both equipment and maintenance for floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier vessels of Norway based operator, Höegh LNG.

Under a new five year technical management agreement, Wärtsilä will provide support for eight ships of the company’s existing fleet as well as for its two new vessels currently under construction. The services of the technical management agreement include Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) to optimise the availability, reliability, and performance of the Wärtsilä engines. It also includes maintenance planning and advisory services involving the combined technical expertise of both Wärtsilä and Höegh LNG specialists.

The two new 170,000 m3 LNG carrier vessels being built for Höegh LNG at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyards in Korea will each be powered by four Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines. There is an option for further three vessels in the SHI series.

The two vessels will also feature the Wärtsilä regasification technology to operate as FSRUs. The regasification solution to be supplied to these vessels is based upon the use of seawater andglycol as the intermediate heating medium, a lighter and less space demanding alternative than earlier systems with a propane based heating system, the company said.