
In January, Wärtsilä signed a letter of intent with the energy companies Vaasan Sähkö and EPV Energia and the City of Vaasa to cooperate in a project aiming at utilising missions-free hydrogen in power production, industry, and traffic applications. The goal is to jointly build a Power-to-X-to-Power system in Vaasa, Finland and to pilot a hydrogen-based energy generation solution suitable for export markets.
In March, Wärtsilä made a further EUR 1 million investment in Soletair Power Oy, a Finnish company developing CO2 direct air capture technology. The investment enables Soletair Power to further its global sales efforts and to scale up the manufacturing of its CO2 capture solution for building ventilation applications. Wärtsilä’s original investment of EUR 500,000 in the company was made in 2019.
In April, Wärtsilä partnered with Tanger Med, the largest Mediterranean and African container port, to take a new step forward in global port efficiency by co-developing a new cutting-edge Port Management Information System (PMIS). Both organisations sealed their long-term commitment to deploy modern Smart Port tools for port operations
and digitalisation – including implementing Just-In-Time (JIT) solutions, machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as other innovative solutions. The new PMIS is aimed at addressing the needs of the leading maritime liners and alliances calling at Tanger Med Port Complex, to optimise their vessel calls, and to use standardised master and
event data.
In June, Wärtsilä and Vantaa Energy Ltd, a Finnish utility, signed a co-operation agreement for the pre-engineering and development of a Power-to-Gas plant for Vantaa Energy. The plant, planned to be commissioned in 2025, would produce carbon-neutral, synthetic methane on a commercial scale with a fuel capacity of 10 MW. Synthetic methane
is produced from captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen produced with renewable energy.
In July, Wärtsilä and the Korean shipbuilding company Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) signed a joint development programme agreement aimed at developing ammonia-fuelled vessels with 4-stroke auxiliary engines for future newbuild projects. Wärtsilä has a leading role in developing engines for operation on future clean fuels. According to SHI, the most likely initial newbuild targets for ships utilising ammonia fuel will be container vessels and very large crude carriers, operating with 2-stroke main engines and 4-stroke Wärtsilä auxiliary engines.
In September, Wärtsilä advanced its carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities for maritime applications as part of the LINCCS (linking carbon capture and storage) consortium. The LINCCS project is focused on reducing costs for new carbon storage facilities by 70% and advancing the development of carbon capture technologies in a range
of sectors. It was also announced that the LINCCS consortium would receive NOK 111 million from the Norwegian government’s Green Platform Initiative over the next three years. Carbon capture technology can be a significant enabler for the decarbonisation of the maritime industry, and one of the major workstreams of the LINCCS project is to bring to market a maritime CCS solution. Wärtsilä will lead this workstream with support from the Sustainable Energy Catapult Center and SINTEF Energy.
In October, Wärtsilä and Eidesvik Offshore ASA signed a landmark cooperation agreement aimed at converting an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to operate with an ammonia-fuelled combustion engine, and with the required fuel supply and safety system. This project will be the first of its kind ever in the world and has a provisional completion target by the end of 2023. The OSV considered for a retrofit currently has Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines operating primarily with LNG fuel. The conversion will allow the vessel to operate with a 70% ammonia blend. The ultimate goal is to achieve operation with 100% ammonia and with a minimum ignition fuel requirement.
In November, Wärtsilä Voyage signed a landmark agreement with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to further strengthen their collaboration in smart port innovation and digitalisation. The main objectives of this strategic partnership are to initiate, develop, and promote innovative solutions that accelerate digitalisation; to foster interoperability in e-navigation and ship-to-shore secure data communications to enable port-to-port optimisation; and to establish reliable, cyber safe and cost-effective information exchange pathways between all ecosystem partners to increase operational efficacy.
Strategic projects, partnerships, acquisitions and divestments in 2019
Strategic projects, partnerships, acquisitions, divestments, and joint ventures in 2018
Strategic projects, acquisitions, joint ventures, and manufacturing footprint in 2017
Strategic projects, acquisitions, joint ventures, and manufacturing footprint in 2016
Strategic projects, acquisitions, joint ventures, and expansion of the network in 2015
Wärtsilä took several steps during 2005 to strengthen the leading positions of its Ship Power and Service businesses globally: