Finnish marine engineering company, Wärtsilä Ship Power has been awarded a US$29 million engine order for bunkering tankers owned and to be operated by Brightoil Petroleum Group (BPG) of China.
Under the agreement Wärtsilä will supply 80 main engines for 40 new bunkering tankers for the Chinese company which is one of Wärtsilä’s largest ever orders.
This order for a total of 80 Wärtsilä 20 engines has been included in the order book already earlier but is clear to be published only now. BPG has recently signed the contract for the 10 first bunkering tankers with a shipyard in Zhejiang, China. These vessels will be launched in June 2012. Each of the vessels will be powered by two 6-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 20 medium-speed engines.
Delivery of the first 10 engines is scheduled to take place between December 2010 and June 2011. Wärtsilä has also signed an 8-year spare parts and technical services agreement with BPG for all 80 engines.
“Wärtsilä has a fine reputation for both quality and reliability, and is able to support its customers and ship power solutions with a truly global service network. We are, therefore, very pleased to co-operate with Wärtsilä in this major project,” said Mr. Tan Bo, Vice President of BPG.
The bunkering tankers will be of two sizes, 4100 dwt and 7000 dwt, and both designs have the same power configuration utilising a twin-screw propulsion solution. Some of the vessels will operate in Chinese waters and will be CCS classified. The remainder will trade in international waters and be classified by Bureau Veritas (BV). BPG will operate the vessels.
The Wärtsilä 20 medium-speed engine is designed to operate reliably with even the poorest quality heavy fuels (HFO) the company claims.
“In addition to its reliable and proven heavy fuel technology, the Wärtsilä 20’s low operating costs and low NOx emissions were important elements in winning this unique order,” said Wim Knoester, Deputy General Manager, Ship Power, Wärtsilä in China.
“Other factors include our worldwide 24/7 service network, Wärtsilä’s excellent reputation as a supplier of propulsion solutions, and the fact that vessels equipped with Wärtsilä engines hold their value well. We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership with BPG.”
