Wärtsilä’s divers help operators avoid unscheduled drydockings

Wärtsilä offers underwater services, such as repairs, overhaul of propulsion systems, hull cleaning, propeller polishing and welding repairs, on a truly global scale

AUGUST 6, 2018 — Late last year, Wärtsilä announced its acquisition of Trident B.V., a leading worldwide provider of commercial diving services. With the acquisition, Wärtsilä became the first Original Equipment Manufacturer with a global underwater services footprint. This, it says, makes it uniquely positioned to offer marine service and maintenance, regardless of the vessel’s location. Maintenance and repair services performed by specialist divers add to Wärtsilä’s comprehensive service offering and allow for operators to minimize or eliminate vessel downtime.

“Reduced fuel consumption, efficiency improvements, and higher utilisation rates are always on the top of operators’ agenda. With our in-house specialist teams of certified diver technicians and propulsion experts, we are equipped to offer our customers underwater services on a truly global scale,” says Tamara de Gruyter, Vice President, Area North Europe, Wärtsilä Services.

Wärtsilä’s underwater service offering includes underwater repair, overhaul of propulsion systems, and regular maintenance such as hull cleaning and propeller polishing, as well as welding repairs and cofferdam repair. The retrofitting of some components of exhaust gas cleaning system and even complex overhauls can be carried out underwater, changing the nature of vessel repairs and maintenance.

“We have several research and development initiatives aiming at further expanding our underwater service offering. Currently, we are in the process of developing an environmentally sound method for underwater hull cleaning. Unlike other available solutions, this unique hull cleaning service can cover close to 100 percent of the submerged hull,” says de Gruyter. “Another one of our objectives is the integration of Trident’s services with Eniram’s analytics, aiming at achieving maximum fuel savings by optimizing the hull cleaning cycle. In the future, Trident’s underwater technicians will also work closely with their engineering colleagues at Wärtsilä to support them in product design that allows for easy underwater maintenance.”

Wärtsilä’s specialist underwater teams are based in the Netherlands, Italy, and Canary Islands and can be dispatched in a matter of hours, enabling fast-response repairs as well as inspections, refurbishment, and equipment installation or replacement for vessels around the globe.