The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully completed a major project to renovate three Windstar cruise ships, according to the company's release.
The conversions were led by the Fincantieri yard starting in 2019 with the first of the three sister vessels, the ‘Star Breeze’, being completed in 2020. This was followed by the ‘Star Legend’ in mid- 2020, and finally the ‘Star Pride’ in October 2021. The renovation included the ships being extended in length from 135 metres (443 feet) to 160.6 metres (527 feet). The project was part of Windstar’s USD 250 million Star Plus initiative.
The ships were each cut in half at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Palermo, Italy and a new 25.6 metre (84 feet) section added in the middle, thus providing an extra 50 staterooms accommodating 100 more passengers. At the same time, the ships’ engines were removed and replaced to provide greater efficiency, better environmental performance, and extended range for the vessels. The new Wärtsilä engines will run on distillate fuels for compliance with the 2020 sulphur cap regulations.
Wärtsilä’s scope of supply for each of the three vessels included two Wärtsilä 26 main engines, two Wärtsilä 26 auxiliary engines, four Wärtsilä customised selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for emissions control, gear boxes, power take-off solutions, and controllable pitch propeller control upgrading. Wärtsilä also re-engineered the alarm, monitoring and automation system, and the power management system, as well as retrofitting the existing onboard systems. Extensive renovation work was also carried out to the entire electrical and automation network.
Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. In 2020 Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.