Wartsila Chosen to Supply "Bangkok-Max" Container Ships

Wärtsilä will supply the main engines for the first series of eight "Bangkok-max" container ships being built at the Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard in China. The ships, ordered in June, will serve as feeder vessels in Asian waters.

The scope of supply includes eight Wärtsilä RT-flex60C main engines, which will be built by a Wärtsilä licensee, Hudong Heavy Machinery (HHM), based in Shanghai. The engines are compact - an ideal size for the narrow engine room on the ships - and were designed for fuel-efficiency.

Four of the ships are being built for Buss Shipping, part of Buss Group from Hamburg, which is known for its port operations in Northern Europe and for its Container Financing by Buss Capital. The other four ships are for Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited, a ship management company with its head offices in Athens, Greece. The machinery for the first of these 1700 TEU container vessels is scheduled to be delivered in 2012, with the remainder being delivered at regular intervals thereafter.