Wartsila Opens New Facility in Helsinki

Wärtsilä has opened new workshop facilities in Helsinki, Finland. The new facilities enable Wärtsilä to offer a wide range of workshop services with rapid response times. Operations in Helsinki began in early August 2011.

"The new workshop is strategically located near the main shipping routes and this, together with its efficient storage arrangements, will significantly enhance our service capacity. For customers with maintenance agreements, the added component storage will reduce transportation and travel costs, and ensure prompt response times for vessels operating in the Baltic area," says Christoph Vitzthum, Group Vice President, Wärtsilä Services.

The new workshop, located in Vuosaari Harbour in Eastern Helsinki, covers an area of 1150 square meters and is equipped with 5- and 12.5-ton overhead cranes, advanced machining equipment, fuel injection system component overhaul tools and testing devices, and the latest technology service tools. Services offered include full workshop operations for engines and propulsion systems, as well as the servicing of mechanical and electrical equipment onboard vessels of all types. The new workshop has also its own transport vehicles to secure fast response capability.

The demands placed on the supply of service and maintenance operations are very high in Finland and the Baltic Sea area. This is a result of the increasing awareness of, and focus on environmental aspects, for example through initiatives such as the Baltic Sea Action Group which Wärtsilä supports. Ship owners and vessel operators expect high quality and efficient services with a minimal environmental footprint.

This new workshop complements greatly Wärtsilä's workshop services throughout the Baltic Sea region. Wärtsilä has service workshops also in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania and Estonia and a new workshop was opened in Gdansk, Poland, in May 2011.

Vuosaari Harbour, part of the Port of Helsinki, has extensive ro-ro and container facilities with expanding commercial activities, and is Finland's primary channel for imports and exports. Occupying premises located within the harbor zone, the new workshop will operate in parallel with Wärtsilä's existing workshop facilities in Vaasa on the country's west coast.