Martin Wernli News

In a prepared statement China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and Wärtsilä announced that Wärtsilä transferred its 30% shareholding in Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (WinGD), headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, to CSSC, one of the largest shipping conglomerates in China. WinGD will continue as an independent, international company to develop and innovate its two-stroke low-speed marine engine portfolio serving merchant markets and customers worldwide. WinGD started the development of large internal combustion engines in 1898 under the “Sulzer” name.

The first Wärtsilä low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel (DF) engine destined for a commercial application has reportedly completed its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) at a Chinese licensee of Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD), the Switzerland-based designer, developer and licensor of Wärtsilä brand low-speed two-stroke engines. The engine is a five cylinder, 50 cm bore 5RT-flex50DF built by Yuchai Marine Power Co., Ltd. (YCMP) at its factory in Doumen, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, in the South of the People’s Republic of China.

The first in a series of 'mega-class' container vessels being built for French Ship owner CMA CGM will be powered by the Wärtsilä X92, low-speed, 2-stroke engine. The vessel is to be built by Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC) in Subic Bay, Philippines. WinGD is the joint venture company between Wärtsilä and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), which took over Wärtsilä's 2-stroke engine business in January 2015. The company is owned 70 per cent by CSSC and 30 per cent by Wärtsilä. The new vessel will have a cargo capacity of more than 20,000 TEU and will be the largest container ship in the CMA CGM fleet. The Wärtsilä X92 engine chosen to power this huge vessel is the largest of Wärtsilä's Generation X series of engines.

The first Wärtsilä low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel (DF) engine destined for a commercial application has reportedly completed its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) at a Chinese licensee of Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD), the Switzerland-based designer, developer and licensor of Wärtsilä brand low-speed two-stroke engines. The engine is a five cylinder, 50 cm bore 5RT-flex50DF built by Yuchai Marine Power Co., Ltd. (YCMP) at its factory in Doumen, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, in the South of the People’s Republic of China.

The joint venture agreement between Wärtsilä and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for the takeover of Wärtsilä's two-stroke engine business, which was announced in July 2014, has now been finalized. The required government and merger control approvals having been received, official closing took place on January 19, 2015. The company is owned 70% by CSSC and 30% by Wärtsilä, and is to be named Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd. (WinGD). The head office of WinGD remains in Winterthur, Switzerland and the company has subsidiaries in China, South Korea and Japan.

Wärtsilä reports that its first X62 two-stroke engine has successfully passed its design validation, type approval tests and necessary sea trials, and is therefore ready for full market availability. The Wärtsilä X62 is the latest in Wärtsilä's X-Generation of engines that was introduced in 2012. Thus far orders have been received for 127 X-Generation engines which feature a high stroke-to-bore ratio, thus achieving a lower engine speed and reduced brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). The X62 incorporates Wärtsilä's second generation electronically controlled, common-rail fuel injection system. The system facilitates high levels of combustion efficiency to give exceptional fuel savings across the entire load range of the engine.

Wärtsilä and Diesel United Ltd in Japan have signed a ten-year renewal of their co-operation agreement for the sale, manufacturing and servicing of Wärtsilä low-speed marine engines. Diesel United is a long-standing member of the Wärtsilä family of low-speed engine licensees. The renewal was signed on the 66th anniversary of the signing of the licence by Diesel United for Sulzer low-speed marine engines on 4 October 1948. This has been Diesel United's sole licence for low-speed two-stroke diesel engines throughout the years since then.

Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd inform that it has signed a licence agreement for the manufacture and sales of Wärtsilä 2-stroke marine engines by China-based Jangsu Antai Power Machinery Co. Ltd. (JAD) which is the former large horse-power division of Wuxi Diesel Engine Plant). Under the terms of this agreement, JAD will be able to manufacture and sell the entire portfolio of Wärtsilä 2-stroke engines. Initially, JAD will focus on small and mid-sized engines up to and including the Wärtsilä X-72 bore engines. It is expected that the manufacturing capacity of JAD will make a significant contribution to the delivery of Wärtsilä low-speed marine engines to the large and still growing Chinese shipbuilding industry.

Wärtsilä announced that it will divest its shares in the Qingdao Qiyao Wärtsilä MHI Linshan Marine Diesel Co. Ltd. (QMD), the joint venture company established for manufacturing large low-speed marine diesel engines. Wärtsilä's shares in the joint venture will be transferred to the current majority shareholder, Qingdao Qiyao Linshan Power Development Co. Ltd., a company fully owned by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The agreement was signed today in Beijing, China. Wärtsilä said the value of the transaction is not significant, and the deal will have a positive effect on Wärtsilä's continuing operations but the impact is not significant. The closing of the transaction is subject to the required regulatory approvals.

Wärtsilä inform that its new  low-pressure, 2-stroke, dual-fuel engine (DF), the 5-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex50DF engine, together with the gas valve unit and other relevant equipment, has been ordered for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier vessel being built for the Chinese ship owner and operator, Zhejiang Huaxiang Shipping Co.Ltd. The Qidong Fengshun Ship Heavy Industry Co., Ltd in China is building the new vessel according to the Chinese Class Society (CCS) standards.When delivered in August 2015…

Wärtsilä said that the first ever Wärtsilä X72 mid-bore, low-speed engine has successfully passed the factory acceptance test. This milestone verifies that the engine fulfils the design criteria for performance and functioning, and that it has been accepted by the customer and the Lloyd's Register of Shipping classification society. The tests were carried out at the Doosan Engine Co. Ltd factory in South Korea, where the engines are being produced under license from Wärtsilä. Wärtsilä launched its low-speed Generation X engine series in May 2011. The Wärtsilä X72 engine offers exceptional efficiency and fuel consumption performance to provide a favourable Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI).

Although the well-known Finnish company Wärtsilä has a very long history, it was founded in 1834, the diesel engine era begins when the company signs a license agreement with Friedrich Krupp Germania Werft AG in Germany. The first diesel engine sees the light of day in Turku in November 1942. From there on Wärtsilä passed a number of rapid expansions in all fields of products. Some of the products stayed and some disappeared. The concentration of being a full solution provider for the maritime industry started in the early 2000’s after lots of talks with potential customers worldwide.

Wärtsilä say they are to supply their Wärtsilä X92 main engine for a series of four Post Panamax 9000 TEU container ships (with options for a fifth) to be built for the Ciner Group, based in Istanbul, Turkey. Each vessel will be powered by an 8-cylinder Wärtsilä X92 engine and will be built at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC) shipyard's facilities in Subic Bay, the Philippines. The choice of the Wärtsilä X92 engine was based on its particularly high efficiency and environmental performance.

Wärtsilä successfully conducted full scale testing on gas of its low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel engine and is now introducing a full new range of engines based on its established and well-proven low pressure technology. The first engine utilizing this technology, the Wärtsilä RT-flex50DF, will be available for delivery in the third quarter of 2014. Other engines from the company's new Generation X series will follow and will be available for delivery during 2015 and 2016. The entire portfolio of Wärtsilä two-stroke engines will be available as low pressure dual-fuel (DF) versions.

Wärtsilä announced that its Wärtsilä X40 two-stroke engine has successfully passed its Type Approval Test (TAT). The testing was carried out in Zhuhai, China, at Wärtsilä's licensee Yuchai Marine Power Co. Ltd (YCMP). In passing the TAT, the engine is verified as having fulfilled all classification society requirements, and will be fully introduced to the market following its sea trials, which are now being undertaken. A feature of the testing was meeting the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) standards.

Wärtsilä, a solutions and services provider, has signed new licence agreements with seven of its long-term Chinese partners. CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation) has been a Wärtsilä licensee since 1978, and four of its engine companies have signed new agreements giving them licence to manufacture, sell, and service Wärtsilä low-speed engines for a further ten years. The four companies are HHM (Hudong Heavy Machinery Co Ltd), CMD (CSSC-MES Diesel Co Ltd), CME (Zhenjiang CME Co Ltd) and GMD (CSSC Guangzhou Marine Diesel Engine Co Ltd).

Wärtsilä Corporation and CSSC Guangzhou Marine Diesel Co.Ltd (GMD), a member of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Group, have jointly signed a licence agreement for the manufacture and sale of Wärtsilä 2-stroke engines in China. It covers the entire engine portfolio with a power range of between 4,300 and more than 80,000 kW per engine. The signing ceremony took place today in Guangzhou, China and was attended by representatives of both companies, headed by Mrs. Lu Xiaoyan, Vice President of CSSC and Dr. Martin Wernli, President of Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. With the shipbuilding industry increasingly concentrated in Asia, the local manufacture of Wärtsilä's marine engines is a key element in the company's growth strategy.

Wärtsilä and Zhenjiang CME Co Ltd (CME) have today jointly signed a licence agreement for the manufacture and sale of Wärtsilä RT-flex low-speed marine diesel engines by CME in . The agreement grants CME the right to manufacture all sizes of Wärtsilä RT-flex modern low-speed engine types at its new factory in . However, CME will focus on engines of 50 cm cylinder bore and smaller. The main attraction of the new licence agreement for CME is the Wärtsilä RT-flex engines with common-rail technology. This is the latest technology for low-speed diesel engines incorporating full electronic control of engine processes. The new manufacturing capacity of CME will make a significant contribution to the delivery of Wärtsilä low-speed marine engines to the rapidly growing shipbuilding industry in .

Wärtsilä and Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Vinashin) signed a license agreement for the manufacture and sale of Wärtsilä low-speed marine engines in Vietnam. The agreement was signed by Pham Thanh Binh, Chairman & CEO of Vinashin and Mr Martin Wernli, President of Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. The agreement grants Vinashin the right to manufacture certain types of Wärtsilä modern low-speed engine types between 48 and 82 cm bore size at their works in Vietnam. The first delivery of a Wärtsilä engine is scheduled for the beginning of 2010, with production building up to a targeted annual output of 30 to 40 engines. At the same time Wärtsilä Corporation announced it is expanding its representation in Vietnam by opening a branch office today in Hanoi.

Wärtsilä, a marine industry's  solutions and services provider, is to supply its recently introduced Wärtsilä X72 licensed engines to power six new vessels for two Singapore based shipping companies. Wärtsilä equipment will be installed on four container vessels that Pacific International Lines (PIL) has ordered from Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC), in China, and on two bulk carriers being built by Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (BSHIC) also in China. The Wärtsilä X72 has been selected as the main engine for these ships, with delivery of the first engines scheduled for early 2014. The order was received in the third quarter of 2012.

Wärtsilä has received its 1000th order for the 2-stroke, electronically controlled, common-rail low-speed diesel engine. The 1000th order will power an efficient Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tanker being built for JX Tanker Company Limited, the Yokohama, Japan based major tanker company. The 310.000 DWT vessel is being built at the IHI Marine United Inc., Kure shipyard, and is scheduled for delivery in 2014. The engine will be manufactured by Diesel United, Ltd. (DU), a Wärtsilä licensee in Japan.