Wärtsilä wins major ship design orders from China, India and Germany

Wärtsilä has received major orders for its recently established Wärtsilä Ship Design unit. The orders were received from customers in China, India and Germany. The Ship Design unit was set up following the acquisitions of the ship design companies Vik-Sandvik and Schiffko. The most recent acquisition, the Singaporean based Conan Wu & Associates will also be part of the Ship Design unit. The orders call for Wärtsilä to design a Deepwater Engineering Survey Vessel, a Multi-Purpose Support Vessel, a Diving Support Vessel, and an Emergency Towing Vessel. Each of these contracts comes as a result of successful bids to design sophisticated tonnage. In commenting on the new orders, Arne Birkeland, Vice President, Ship Design, Ship Power, Wärtsilä Corporation, noted: "The design contracts we have signed with these Chinese, Indian and German ship owners are an indication that there is a readiness to take on high-value, sophisticated new tonnage. We are able to offer our customers a design which leads to better overall efficiency, improved environmental performance and reduced life cycle costs. This has been made possible by optimizing the design to accommodate the vessel's various operating processes". Jaakko Eskola, Group Vice President, Ship Power, Wärtsilä Corporation, said: "From a strategic point of view, being able to offer ship design services is a very important step for Wärtsilä, since it brings us even closer to our ship owner and shipyard customers. We can now enter into dialogue with them at an earlier stage, when the key specifications of the vessel are being decided. This puts us in a position to offer even more competitive solutions." Further Mr Jaakko Eskola said: "The role of ship design is becoming increasingly important in the value chain, due to higher integration and more sophisticated systems onboard most vessels and increasingly stringent environmental regulations. In addition the ship design is more and more linked to system providers, shipyards and integrators. Ship production is moving away from traditional ship building countries in the west to emerging markets where there is a need for ship design skills. We can now build upon our existing strengths and strategies and, through Wärtsilä Ship Design, further develop our overall capabilities to include design." The new Wärtsilä Ship Design orders The Deepwater Engineering Survey Vessel design is for China Oilfield Services Ltd, and represents a 4300-dwt vessel capable of drilling operating at deep water for geotechnical surveys and geophysical surveys. To date, most of China's oil exploration has been in relatively shallow waters, but there is now a need to probe deeper. The Chinese state-owned Shanghai Salvage Company has ordered its Multi-Purpose Support Vessel design from Wärtsilä in order to carry out year-round tasks along the coastline of China. The key requirement is for multi-purpose flexibility since the vessel will be required to carry out a multitude of different operations, including salvage, offshore engineering services, diving and ROV operations, fire-fighting, anchor handling, ship supply, environmental protection, and route clearing. The 4500-dwt Diving Support Vessel design has been ordered by India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), and will provide a stable platform for saturation and air-diving operations. In addition to diving operations and construction work, the vessel is to provide field support and will, therefore, be fitted with sophisticated fire-fighting and oil recovery equipment. In Europe, Wärtsilä has completed an Emergency Towing Vessel design for the German company ARGE Küstenschutz. Because the vessel is intended for North Sea operation, the main criteria in producing this ultra-modern design have been manoeuvrability, and the capability of maintaining position effectively in harsh weather conditions. New concepts In addition to the new orders, the Wärtsilä Ship Design unit has also completed designs for a new anchor handling vessel, a platform supply vessel, and a bulk carrier, all of which afford fuel consumption reductions of as much as 25 percent. This has been made possible by optimizing the design to accommodate the vessel's various operating processes. Contact details: Mr Arne Birkeland Vice President Ship Design, Wärtsilä Ship Power Wärtsilä Corporation Tel: +47 97715013 arne.birkeland@wartsila.com Mr Atte Palomäki Group Vice President, Communications Wärtsilä Corporation Tel: +358 40 5476390 atte.palomaki@wartsila.com Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund Public Relations Manager Wärtsilä Corporation Tel: +358 40 5383 519 e-mail: marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com Wärtsilä introduces the Compact Silencer System Wärtsilä unveils a novel engine exhaust noise reduction system that could eventually make conventional single unit diesel engine silencers a thing of the past. Designed for applications where little or no engine noise is an operational requirement, such as passenger ships and ferries, offshore and military vessels, Wärtsilä's Compact Silencer System (CSS) is a patented method for designing the complete exhaust systems using multiple silencer elements distributed along the exhaust pipe. The new system can also help ship owners reduce operating costs because it negates the need for adding more conventional silencers. A conventional silencer is unable to reduce noise across the entire frequency spectrum because engine noise frequencies vary depending on the number of cylinders and so on. There are also external factors affecting the engine's noise level, such as exhaust gas pipe design, amounts of bends, equipments like SCR, Boiler etc. As a result additional silencers are usually added, but this could prove detrimental to the engine. The introduction of further conventional silencers can increase the exhaust gas pressure drop, increasing the thermal load on the engine. Not only can this actually damage the engine, fuel consumption increases too. The CSS concept, however, covers the whole frequency spectra whilst maintaining a low pressure drop - an advantage since the introduction of exhaust gas cleaning equipment, such as SCRs and scrubbers, are likely to further increase the exhaust gas back pressure if conventional engine noise systems are used. Where low weight, low centre of gravity and space is of concern, CSS components have been optimised to minimise the space requirement of the exhaust system. Pre-insulated silencer elements, for instance, are designed to have almost the same diameter as the insulated exhaust gas pipe. Acoustic properties are optimised according to operational and regulatory noise level requirements, and although the final solution selection depends mainly on the demand for noise reduction demand, allowable piping length and ship compartments, the CSS offers a more slender, lighter cost-effective solution compared to single unit systems. It is easy-to-install, acoustically robust, reduces pressure drop and, importantly, noise. Link to picture Caption: Calculation methods using a conventional silencer system versus the Compact Silencer System We also welcome your visit to SMM exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, Wärtsilä stand - No. 223 in Hall A4! Media contact: Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund Public Relations Manager 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 Corporation in brief: Wärtsilä enhances the business of its customers by providing them with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating better and environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä focuses on the marine and energy markets with products and solutions as well as services. Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out to be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is achieved by the dedication of more than 17,000 professionals manning 160 Wärtsilä locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on The Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland. www.wartsila.com