Wärtsilä and Wagenborg ink 15 ship maintenance agreement

Multipurpose Dry Cargo Carrier Adriaticborg is one of the 15 Wagenborg vessels under Wärtsilä maintenance

OCTOBER 16, 2014 — Wärtsilä and Delfzijl, Netherlands, headquartered Wagenborg Shipping B.V. have signed a six-year maintenance agreement for fifteen of Wagenborg’s dry cargo carriers that will see Wärtsilä provide all maintenance planning and services for the installed engines and propulsion systems at a fixed price.

The agreement covers not only the maintenance of the ships’ Wärtsilä 46F engines, but also the controllable pitch propellers, bow thrusters and shaft seals. One of the key aspects of the contract, marking a major step forward for both parties, is that Wärtsilä will now be handling all maintenance for a flat fee per operating hour, producing a completely predictable fixed cost pattern.

“Wärtsilä works hard to help clients secure their business activities in the long term, which is an essential consideration in the current economic climate in the shipping sector, and certainly in merchant shipping. With an advanced maintenance agreement like this one, we are combining high-quality maintenance with lower costs for Wagenborg,” says Henk de Jong, Director of the Benelux Service Unit for Wärtsilä.

“One important result of this contract is that it facilitates more efficient maintenance,” says Wagenborg Shipping’s Fleet Director, Theo Klimp. “Our goal is to improve technical engine performance and optimize maintenance planning. The contract also allows us to keep our operational costs more controllable; it was very important for us to have unscheduled maintenance included in the scope of the contract.”

Under the agreement, Wagenborg Shipping B.V. will use Wärtsilä’s Remote Condition Monitoring System. This system enables optimal alignment between maintenance work and the current state of the engines. Due to condition monitoring and meticulous maintenance planning, the time between overhauls can be extended, which increases vessel availability. Condition monitoring also contributes to increased engine reliability and optimal engine tuning, which saves fuel and reduces emissions.