Wärtsilä, the marine industry’s leading ship power system integrator, has during 2009 been awarded two large orders from the Spliethoff Group, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The orders are for propulsion systems for eleven ships that the Spliethoff Group has ordered at the Ouhua Shipyard in Zhejiang, China. The Wärtsilä scope of delivery includes engines, propellers and efficiency rudders, as well as bow thrusters forming a complete integrated propulsion system for the ships.
The new orders are for five 16,800 dwt Heavy-Lift vessels to be operated by BigLift Shipping, and six 12,500 dwt Multipurpose vessels. Deliveries of the Heavy-Lift vessels will take place between August and December 2010, and the Multipurpose vessels will be delivered between December 2010 and May 2011. With these additional newbuildings the total order book is now about 20 vessels under delivery with Wärtsilä propulsion solutions for the Spliethoff Group.
“These new contracts strengthen the successful and long-standing relationship between Spliethoff and Wärtsilä. More than 60 Spliethoff vessels in operation are equipped with Wärtsilä propulsion systems” says Reinier de Vries, Senior Account Manager, Wärtsilä in the Netherlands.
For the Heavy-Lift vessels, Wärtsilä’s scope includes an 8-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 46 main engine with an output of 8400kW at 500 rpm, a controllable pitch (CP) propeller, a Wärtsilä Energopac efficiency rudder, and a bow thruster.
“The propulsion technology carried by these vessels has been effectively optimized by designing an efficient rudder/propeller combination, and by employing a six-metre propeller. Wärtsilä used both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and full-scale tank tests in finalising the design,” adds de Vries.
For each Multipurpose vessel, Wärtsilä will be delivering a 6-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 46 main engine with an output of 5430kW at 500 rpm, a CP propeller and bow thrusters. The design of the engine and propeller allows the customer to achieve maximum fuel efficiency.
Long-time customer of Wärtsilä
Spliethoff is a long-time customer of Wärtsilä. The company’s activities include worldwide transportation of forest products and comprehensive services designed to meet the needs of large projects, especially those undertaken by the oil, gas and telecom industries. Spliethoff is also engaged in global parcel delivery services.
The Spliethoff Group owns and operates a large and modern fleet of about 100 vessels, of which 55 are Multipurpose tween-deck vessels ranging between 12,000 and 24,000 dwt tonnes. When heavy-duty equipment is required, the company calls on the assistance of BigLift Shipping, a Spliethoff Group company.
Spliethoff’s policy is to build a series production of a number of sister vessels. This ensures that several vessels of the same size are available, thus providing excellent operational flexibility.
Link to picture
Caption: Wärtsilä will deliver the propulsion systems for eleven new Spliethoff Group vessels to be built at the Ouhua Shipyard in China. The picture is of the D4-type 16,800 dwt Heavy-Lift vessels to be operated by BigLift Shipping.
Media contact:
Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund
Senior Manager, PR and Marketing Communications
Wärtsilä Corporation
Direct tel: +358 10 709 1439
Direct fax: +358 10 709 1425
e-mail: marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com
Internet: www.wartsila.com
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.
In 2008, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion with 19,000 employees. The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
