Wärtsilä, the leading ship power system integrator of the marine industry, and IHI Marine United Inc. (IHIMU) of Japan, have concluded a co-operation agreement. Under the agreement, Contra-Rotating Propeller (CRP) systems developed by IHIMU will be incorporated into Wärtsilä’s propulsion solutions used on board diesel-electric driven ships.
The co-operation agreement mainly covers the European market, where the environmental demands on shipping operations are becoming increasingly stringent.
The IHIMU CRP systems have been installed over a period of more than 20 years onboard VLCC and bulk carrier vessels. The company has further developed its CRP systems for diesel-electric ship applications installed from 2007 onwards.
Wärtsilä is able to totally engineer a highly efficient propulsion solution incorporating the IHIMU CRP systems into a comprehensive system that is environmentally sound. Wärtsilä is, therefore, able to market the CRP system as an integrated part of its propulsion solution.
The IHIMU CRP system achieves 10% better propulsion efficiency compared to conventional diesel-electric propulsion systems, and is applicable to all vessels from small ships to large LNG carriers. This efficiency improvement translates into significant fuel savings, thus enabling a short return on investment as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The application of the CRP system could be extended to include hybrid (mechanical driven and electric driven) propulsion systems, and four-stroke mechanical systems, at a future stage.
Wärtsilä is present in 70 countries, and the Wärtsilä’s network will ensure after sales support for the whole IHIMU CRP system, together with Wärtsilä propulsion solutions, thereby offering ship owners reliable worldwide coverage for maintenance and repairs.
Following the signing of the agreement with IHIMU, Mr Lars Anderson, Vice President, Merchant, Wärtsilä Ship Power, commented: “The fuel savings and lower emissions of the IHIMU CRP system makes it a perfect fit for Wärtsilä’s propulsion solutions offering. It will enhance our company’s strategic goal of being a total solutions provider, while at the same time boosting our ability to help ship operators and owners meet the challenge of reducing CO2 emission levels. It is also important to note that the payback time for the CRP system is rather short, which is an important economic aspect for owners.”
Media contacts:
Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund
Senior Manager, PR and Marketing Communications
Wärtsilä Corporation
Direct tel: +358 10 709 1439
Direct fax: +358 10 709 1425
e-mail: marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com
Internet: www.wartsila.com
Mr Hideki Shuto
Manager, Engineering Div.
IHI Marine United Inc.
Direct tel: +81 3 3454 7151
Direct fax: +81 3 3454 7116
e-mail: hideki_shuto@ihimu.ihi.co.jp
Wärtsilä Corporation in brief:
Wärtsilä enhances the business of its customers by providing them with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating better and environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä focuses on the marine and energy markets with products and solutions as well as services. Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out to be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is achieved by the dedication of close to 19,000 professionals manning 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com
IHIMU in brief:
IHI Marine United Inc., Shipbuilding and Offshore operations of IHI group, is the leading shipbuilder in Japan, delivering world largest container ship, tankers, bulk carriers and so on for its history of more than 100 years.
Based on accumulated technology from its shipbuilding activity, IHIMU has established its unique technology of CRP system and achieved successful result of “Super-Eco Ship Project” in Japan, utilizing excellent performance of IHIMU CRP system. IHIMU is serving for our customers not only as the shipbuilder but also solution provider for environmentally friendly ships.
