Wärtsilä 20 marine engine
Wärtsilä 20 marine engine

Flexibility and reliability for a wide range of vessel applications

Get the facts: open the brochure

Wärtsilä 20 marine engines for a wide range of ships

Wärtsilä 20 is a compact, lightweight marine engine. It offers fuel flexibility and reliable performance in genset and main engine applications. It is available in diesel and dual-fuel versions, and the dual-fuel version will switch between different fuels during operation smoothly, without power interruption.

Who is it for?

Wärtsilä 20 offers outstanding flexibility, which makes it a great choice for generating sets in larger vessels and as a main engine for both mechanical and electric propulsion. The dual-fuel version is a great choice for many vessel types, including hybrid installations.

Ideal applications for the Wärtsilä 20 engine include:

  • car carriers (PCTC)
  • merchant vessels
  • small cargo vessels
  • ferries
  • tugboats.

Wärtsilä 20 – proven in use

The Wärtsilä 20 has proven its robustness and reliability with over 7500 engines delivered since its introduction to the market in the early 1990s. The engine can switch from MDO to HFO and vice versa without power interruption at any engine operation load.

The engine is available in cylinder configurations 4L, 6L, 8L, 9L with the power output ranging between 740 and 1980 kW at 900, 1000 and 1200 rpm.

Tug boat pulls a container vessel

Wärtsilä 20DF – small dual fuel engine

The Wärtsilä 20DF is based on the well proven and reliable Wärtsilä 20 diesel engine introduced in the early 1990s. Because of its fuel flexibility, the Wärtsilä 20DF can be optimized for constant speed generating sets, as well as variable speed mechanical drives, for main engine applications.

The engine is available in cylinder configurations 6L, 8L, 9L with the power output ranging between 870 and 1755 kW at 900, 1000 and 1200 rpm.

3D rendering Wärtsilä 20 marine engine

Key benefits of the Wärtsilä 20 engine

  • Excellent fuel flexibility – capable of running on a variety of fuels (including diesel and LNG) and switching seamlessly between them.
  • Low fuel oil consumption over a wide load range.
  • Optimised power-to-weight and power-to-space ratios plus flexible engine support arrangements for a wide range of vessel applications.
  • Proven and reliable with over 6,000 engines delivered.
  • Long overhaul intervals.
  • Low exhaust gas emissions
  • Low gas feed pressure (DF)

Wärtsilä 20 and Wärtsilä 20DF product guides, 3D models and drawings

Get technical data and system proposals for designing marine engine installations with the Wärtsilä 20 and Wärtsilä 20DF.

Fuel flexibility and emission reduction

The Wärtsilä 20 can operate on conventional liquid marine fuels (LFO, HFO or liquid biofuels) or LNG. Fuel switching takes place without loss of power or speed.

For vessel operators, a fuel-flexible engine means that it is possible to comply with the ever-tightening emission regulations. At the same time, operators will have the option to choose fuel according to cost and availability.

Adopting LNG as fuel can help you reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. To maximise the environmental benefits of LNG, it is important to minimise methane slip – the unburned methane that escapes into the atmosphere when LNG is burned as fuel.

Wärtsilä 20DF is a great choice because it cuts methane slip in two ways. Its combustion chambers are designed to reduce methane slip, and its combustion controls have been optimised.

Customer stories

Discover the benefits that others have gained from choosing Wärtsilä 20 marine engines.

  • a night-time image of a car carrier vessel
    Santoku Shipping

    Wärtsilä 20 dual-fuel engines enable Santoku Shipping to operate on LNG to cut CO2 and SOx emissions on its six new pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) vessels.

    Wärtsilä 20DF engines help to reduce SOx and CO2 emissions
  • Orion reference
    Offshore construction vessel Orion

    The world’s first LNG fuelled offshore construction vessel being built for DEME will be powered by Wärtsilä.

    Read more about the solutions
  • Viking Supply

    Hybrid upgrade for Viking Supply Ships sharpens competitive edge of LNG-powered PSVs

    Discover the hybrid upgrade solution
  • LNG vessel for Knutsen OAS Shipping reference
    LNG vessel for Knutsen OAS Shipping

    The latest development of the LNG infrastructure provides clear evidence of the increasing importance of LNG fuel to the marine industry. Wärtsilä has a lot of experience and know-how throughout the LNG value chain, and we are confident that their solutions are what we need for this latest expansion to our fleet.

    Discover the Wärtsilä equipment package

Case MS Helgoland

The MS Helgoland ferry entered a new era of dual-fuel operations with the complete Wärtsilä LNG propulsion solution, featuring two Wärtsilä 20 engines. Watch the video to learn how they adopted a new fuel.

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