Wärtsilä to supply engines and thrusters for Delfin LNG's first FLNG vessel
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Wärtsilä Corporation has secured an order to supply the engines and thrusters for the first Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) vessel being built at Samsung Heavy Industries' (SHI) shipyard for Delfin Midstream's Delfin LNG project in the United States. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in the second quarter of 2026.
Equipment to be delivered
The contract includes three Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel engines, an exhaust gas treatment system featuring SCR and Oxicat technologies, and three custom-designed azimuth thrusters. These thrusters will be the largest ever manufactured by Wärtsilä and, according to the company, also the largest currently in operation worldwide. Their design allows them to be hoisted for maintenance from inside the vessel while operations continue, reducing downtime.
Location and hurricane safety
The vessel will serve the Port Delfin LNG project, located about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Louisiana, and will receive gas through existing onshore and offshore pipelines. The propulsion configuration, developed together with the project partners during the engineering phase, will allow the vessel to disconnect and sail to a safe location in the event of a hurricane warning. Björn Axfors, Delfin's lead hull and marine engineer, noted that this disconnection capability is essential for an FLNG vessel operating off the coast of Louisiana.
Partner statements
Youngjin Jeong, Vice President of SHI's offshore procurement team, highlighted the collaboration with Wärtsilä and expressed his expectation of strengthening the partnership as the FLNG market grows. For his part, Bernd Bertram, Vice President of Propulsion at Wärtsilä Marine, stated that the growing interest in FLNG projects reflects the need for flexible energy infrastructure, and that success in these applications depends on optimizing efficiency, reliability, and environmental performance from the earliest design stages.
Timeline
Deliveries of Wärtsilä's equipment are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2027, while the vessel is expected to enter operation in early 2030.
