Skip to main content

GE Marine Engines Secures 10-Year Gas Turbine Maintenance Agreement For Three Stena HSS Fast Ferries

May 22, 1998

EVENDALE, OH - GE Marine Engines has secured a 10-year gas turbine maintenance agreement with Stena Line AB, Gothenburg, Sweden, for three Stena Highspeed Sea Service (HSS) fast ferries.

"The Stena contract for the HSS fast ferries is a first-of-a-kind for GE in the commercial marine industry, although we currently have long-standing gas turbine maintenance agreements with various marine and industrial customers," said Bill Millhaem, general manager of GE Marine Engines. "The agreement with Stena Line illustrates that GE offers customers not only the equipment but the value-added expertise and knowledge to maintain this machinery," he added.

GE's contract covers full onboard and shop repair maintenance for the 12 GE LM aeroderivative gas turbines on three HSS fast ferries, Stena Explorer, Stena Voyager and Stena Discovery. The vessels began commercial operation in April 1996, July 1996 and June 1997, respectively.

Each semi-swath fast ferry has two GE LM1600 and two GE LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines in a COGAG configuration. The LM1600s are rated at 13.1 megawatts and the LM2500s are rated at 20.2 megawatts.

The vessels were built by Finnyards in Rauma, Finland. The HSS fast ferries measure 126 meters long by 40 meters wide. Each vessel can achieve speeds of more than 40 knots and has the capacity for 1,500 passengers, 375 cars, or 50 trucks and 100 cars. The vessels are operated by Stena Line on the Irish Sea between the United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

The gas turbines for each of the HSS fast ferries were packaged in propulsion system modules by GE's Marine System Supplier, Kvaerner Energy, Oslo, Norway.

GE Marine Engines is part of GE Aircraft Engines and is headquartered in Evendale, OH. GE Marine Engines is the world's largest designer, developer and manufacturer of aeroderivative gas turbines for a variety of commercial and military marine propulsion applications.