Van Oord Inks Maintenance Deal with Wärtsilä

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä said it has expanded its partnership with Dutch marine contractor Van Oord with the signing of a nine-year renewal and extension to its Optimized Maintenance agreement. The new deal also expands on the original by adding Wärtsilä’s Expert Insight and Data Driven Maintenance solutions. It also enables the addition of technologies and maintenance procedures delivering better fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

The contract covers the Wärtsilä engines installed on the cutter suction dredger Athen, which operates with three Wärtsilä 46F engines, and was signed in January 2021.

Expert Insight predictive maintenance solution leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced diagnostics to monitor equipment and systems in real-time, spot anomalies, foresee potential problems, and enable rapid reaction accordingly. Should anomalous behavior be detected, it is flagged to specialists at Wärtsilä Expertise Centers, allowing them to support the customer.  

“The earlier agreement was professionally and efficiently handled by Wärtsilä, so we had no hesitation in seeking a renewal. Previously the focus was on maintaining operational efficiency. Now the elements of sustainability and cost control have also been added, This ensures optimal fuel consumption, which in turn reduces emissions,” said Jorn Bertens, Category Manager, Van Oord Ship management.

“Wärtsilä Lifecycle Solutions, including Optimized Maintenance agreements, are an essential and central part of our lifecycle support commitment to our customers. The introduction of Expert Insight adds even greater value to our support offering by delivering a level of predictability and optimization that has never before been possible, and it allows us also to detect issues before they actually happen,” said Henrik Wilhelms, Director, Agreement Sales, Wärtsilä Marine Power.