Wärtsilä to maintain South American river tug fleet

Pusher tugs operate in demanding shallow waters and remote location

MARCH 23, 2018 — Wärtsilä has signed a five year optimized maintenance agreement with Hidrovias Group subsidiary Girocantex Uruguay. The agreement covers a fleet of eight pusher tugs operating on South American rivers and enables flexible maintenance planning and execution according to the real condition of the equipment.

The pusher tugs, operated by Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. and Hidrovias do Paraguay S.A., carry agricultural commodities, ores, steel products and other loads on the rivers of Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. They operate in demanding shallow waters and remote locations, making maintenance planning and execution challenging.

The maintenance solutions offered by Wärtsilä include engine condition monitoring, which enables dynamic maintenance planning (DMP) with maintenance planning and execution made in accordance with the real condition of the equipment, providing flexibility for the operator and ensuring maximum uptime for the vessels.

“We expect and trust that with this agreement, we are able to maintain or even further improve the availability and utilization of our vessels safely and economically,” says Alexandre Petterle, General Manager, Hidrovias do Brasil. “Close cooperation with Wärtsilä and the extensive scope of services, monitoring and planning will assure the maximal lifecycle value of our vessels, which is crucial for our operations, and our customers.”

Girocantex will also use Wärtsilä Online Services, giving it online access for technical information on its installations and providings a platform through which to ask questions from Wärtsilä’s technical experts.

“Both Wärtsilä and Girocantex share the same passion to serve our customers and exceed their expectations,” says Walter Reggente, Vice President, Americas, Wärtsilä Services. “We are also strongly committed to enabling sustainable societies with smart technology. By offering Girocantex our services that enable them to maximize the uptime of their fleet of vessels that are sailing in harsh and remote inland waterways, we are honoring this commitment. Rivers are a safe and cost-effective way of transporting goods to ports to be shipped around the world, thereby directly supporting the economies of South American countries.”