Wärtsilä CEO: We might take a look at acquiring Rolls-Royce marine biz

Jaakko Eskola

JANUARY 31, 2018 — Wärtsilä Corporation President and CEO Jaakko Eskola said today that the company might consider acquiring Rolls-Royce’s loss making marine business, which is currently the subject of a “strategic review.”

“If we see any interesting player in the market, who would fit well to our strategy … we would definitely look at it,” Eskola told a news conference. “We need to look at what is available there and what is going to be their final plan.”

The news conference was held following release of Wärtsilä’s 2017 financial statements bulletin.

The company called 2017 “a year of solid sales and strong order intake” and said it sees 2018 prospects for its marine business as “solid.” But, it adds that “despite improving sentiment, the marine market environment remains challenging due to overcapacity and lack of financing.”

“In the marine industry, the sentiment among merchant customers improved during the latter part of the year,” said Eskola. “This, together with a healthy demand in the cruise and gas carrier segments, supported the growth of Marine Solutions’ order intake.”

Read the complete 2017 financial statements bulletin HERE