Severe engine problems forced the cargo vessel M/V Pontica to go off-hire. Thanks to Wärtsilä’s renewal of the complete propulsion line, the ship could return to service faster than scheduled. “Because of Wärtsilä’s good reputation and long track record, we did not hesitate to go for Wärtsilä’s solution,” says Mr Georgi Ivanov, Technical Superintendent at Ribex Maritime Ltd.
The general cargo vessel M/V Pontica, calling at exotic ports worldwide, had for a long time suffered severe problems with the main engine. After the second serious crankshaft failure, the engine seized, and the vessel was towed and anchored at the Dolphin shipyard in Varna, Bulgaria. “To us, it was clear that if the vessel is out of service, it will inevitably influence our business and reputation. So, we had to find a solution,” says Mr. Ivanov
The obvious choices for the customer were to either overhaul the existing main engine or renew it. The customer had made unsuccessful overhauls before, so he decided to replace the engine. Wärtsilä then came up with an unconventional solution which included the main engine, gearbox, clutch, propeller shaft, seals, bearings, and a new propeller.
Mr. Ivanov highlights the fact that Wärtsilä’s ship designers assisted with the preliminary studies and onboard inspections, which showed the customer that Wärtsilä can provide a full engineering and integration package – this had a significant positive impact on the negotiations. In addition, this also gave the customer a full image of the overall effect a retrofit would have for the vessel, i.e. not just an exchange of equipment.
Mr. Ivanov states that he has not had good experiences from so-called cheap engineering products. “With Wärtsilä’s products and services, the level of problems is close to zero. The feedback and advice you get from Wärtsilä are always relevant, and their actions are aimed at improving the system. Therefore, we decided to choose Wärtsilä’s solution.”
According to Mr. Ivanov, the engineers from Wärtsilä were very skilled and technically experienced and had the necessary knowledge about the equipment and the project procedures. “The installation at the Dolphin shipyard took about three and a half months, and everything was well-planned thanks to the integrated engineering package. The minor challenges we had are not worth mentioning.”
For Wärtsilä customers with similar needs, Mr. Ivanov would definitely recommend contracting Wärtsilä. “Working with Wärtsilä has been a positive experience, everything from negotiating the contract to the actual installation.”
“So far, we are satisfied with the installation and that we got our vessel quickly back in service. The most important benefits are that we now have increased the safety of the vessel and can benefit from Wärtsilä’s support worldwide,” says Mr. Ivanov.
