Products & services

Wärtsilä internal audit reveals deviations in a limited number of fuel consumption tests of marine engines

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 07 March 2016 07 March 2016

Wärtsilä Corporation has, at its own initiative, conducted an internal audit of test processes globally. This was done to secure compliance and to ensure operational excellence within the company.

"The investigation has brought forward deviations in certain fuel consumption measurement tests conducted for marine engines in Wärtsilä Delivery Centre Trieste in Italy before customer dispatches. The deviations are on average 1% of fuel consumption. Of all Wärtsilä engine deliveries a total of 2% may have been affected. Engines for power plant customers are not impacted, and we have no evidence of deviations in other operations," the company said in a statement.

It is to be noted that the engines in question have fulfilled the regulatory and classification society requirements, and the potentially affected vessels have met sea trial requirements. According to our evaluation, the customer impact of the deviations is marginal.

Over the recent years our portfolio has expanded significantly, and in 2015 Wärtsilä's marine engine sales represented 12% of annual group revenues. According to the estimate of Wärtsilä management, the financial impact of this issue is not material.

"Based on our current analysis, the deviations have been caused by a limited number of personnel, who have clearly acted against work instructions and our code of conduct by influencing the test results."

These actions are in dire violation of corporate policies and the company takes the matter extremely seriously. In order to secure new and transparent processes and controls, Wärtsilä has reviewed all test procedures, and taken immediate corrective actions where deviations have been found. Consequently, we can confirm that the tests fulfil our high standards.

"Wärtsilä requires all its employees to act in accordance with internal guidelines as well as laws and regulations. We deeply apologise for any loss in trust caused by this violation to our policies and corporate values, and we will immediately start reaching out to our customers," says President and CEO Jaakko Eskola, Wärtsilä Corporation.

Trimline's busy year

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 03 March 2016 03 March 2016

Trimline has had a busy year so far with marine interior refurbishment projects varying in size and complexity secured for a wide variety of cruise companies.

For Trimline, the marine interior refurbishment specialists, the last three months have been spent securing work with P&O Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Cunard Line, Noble Caledonia, Windstar Cruises, Thomson Cruises, Holland America Line and Royal Caribbean.

Trimline has worked with several cruise lines and ferry companies that have undergone a rebrand, or added new tonnage to their fleet including Windstar Cruises, Thomson Cruises, DFDS and Red Funnel, TT-Line, Condor Ferries. To ensure a rebrand is successful, the team at Trimline work closely with their clients so they can build a tailored solution which meets and exceeds their passengers’ needs. By planning for success Trimline can ensure that by the time the work takes place it can do so with the minimum amount of disruption, and can be delivered on brand, on time and on budget.

Recent refurbishments carried out have included a £3million refit for Thomson Cruises’ Dream, as well as a refresh of the company’s Celebration. Trimline had worked with Thomson previously on other projects, and it was this knowledge of the company which meant they were confident in managing two refits with differing requirements. A previous collaboration with DFDS influenced the decision to use Trimline for the recently completed double ferry transformation of the Cote des Flandres and the Cote des Dunes.

There are many projects in the pipeline for Trimline over the next few months, including refits for P&O Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Cunard Line, Windstar Cruises, The World, Thompson Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Azamara and Grand Circle Cruises.

Trimline’s CEO Andrew Richards, isn’t surprised the Southampton based company has been so busy over the past three months, he said: “There has been a real growth in the marine refit market with customers wanting more from their cruises. In turn cruise companies want to go further for their customers and we’re thrilled to be at the forefront of such high quality marine refurbishments.” He added: “Cruise refurbishments need to achieve a high level of luxury throughout. For us that means continually exceeding expectations in terms of quality, turnaround and project management by working closely with our clients from the start.”

Trimline is well supported in multiple ship refurbishments and to ensure that all refits are met on time and on budget, the company can rely on its 120 land-based staff, 1,000 staff on the ground, and the constantly evolving technology the company uses at its purpose built site in Southampton, UK.

Foreship counsels polar forethought

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 06 March 2016 06 March 2016

Goal-based concept design is key to ensuring new generation exploration ships can enter unforgiving polar seas in comfort and safety, according to Foreship, the cruise industry’s most widely-consulted design and engineering company.

The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2017, initially covering ships built after that date. From January 2018, it will apply to all ships bound for latitudes 60° or higher.

“Few cruise ships have been strengthened for ice, even these have often been strengthened to the lowest possible ice class. The Polar Code means owners must adopt a more exacting approach, even at the concept stage,” says Markus Aarnio, Chairman of Foreship. “New Polar Code requirements for ships include a defined Polar Service Temperature, based on actual temperatures in the intended operational area. Stability considerations need to include ice accretion, which is not always easy in the case of older ships with small stability margins.”

Aarnio says that the concept design also needs to address other hazards posed to mariners. “All equipment, from deck machinery to lifeboats, escapes, firefighting, etc. need to work in low temperatures."

“Arctic and Antarctic waters have a number of similarities, but there are also significant differences,” he observes. “There is relatively little multi-year ice in the Antarctic, while Arctic sea ice survives over many summer seasons. This will affect the required ice strengthening, even if most Polar Code cruise ships plan to operate mostly in open water.”

Foreship is closely involved in two landmark polar passenger ship contracts, one for Crystal Cruises and the other for Scenic. The results will be the first luxury passenger vessels that are purpose-built for waters previously served by robust but ageing expedition ships.

Crystal is building the first of a possible three 1,000-passenger, 320m LOA luxury ships at Germany’s Lloyd Werft shipyard that will be ice strengthened to Polar Class. Scenic is building the first ‘Discovery Yacht’ in the world at Uljanik, Croatia. The 165m LOA, 228-passenger ship will operate in Arctic and Antarctic waters, and will be built to Polar Class 6 - approximately equivalent to the Swedish-Finnish ice class 1A Super specified for most Baltic ferries.

Polar Code ships fall into three categories, Aarnio explains. Category A ships (ice strengthening according to Polar Class 1–5) are fit for at least medium first year ice; no cruise ship is expected to be built for this capability due to negative consequences for open water performance. Category B ships are designed for at least thin first year ice (Polar Class 6–7), while Category C ships are envisaged as operating in open water of less severity. A purpose built, Polar Code cruise ship should be a Category B ship. Category B ship also require better damage stability than category C ships, providing more safety.

“Separated engine rooms, modern waste water treatment, adequate garbage stores and the possibility to operate without heavy fuel oil are all prerequisites for polar operations,” adds Aarnio. “But owners also need to consider ship sizes and passenger capacity; ships with more than 500 passengers cannot land passengers on Antarctic, for example, and more regulations are coming to protect sensitive polar areas.”

“Polar shipping will nonetheless grow over the coming years and design innovations to deal with all eventualities need to be at the concept stage, and not an afterthought.”

Valmet supplies scrubbers to fifth and sixth TUI Cruises’ newbuildings

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 22 February 2016 22 February 2016

Valmet, the Finnish engineering group, says it will supply exhaust gas scrubber system (EGCS) for the fifth and sixth newbuildings of TUI Cruises. “The scrubber system deliveries to the first vessel will start in the fourth quarter of 2016 and to the second vessel in the first quarter of 2017,” the company said in a statement.

This scrubber system order was included in Valmet's fourth quarter 2015 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. Typically, the order value of scrubber system deliveries ranges between €1 million and €6 million.

Valmet has a long track record in supplying scrubber systems to cruise vessels. For TUI Cruises these new cruise ships represent fiftth and sixthth cruise vessels with EGCS scrubbers based on Valmet's technology.

"We are proud to continue the supply of our technology to the TUIC fleet. Our scrubber system will ensure for the ships a modern, reliable exhaust gas cleaning system," says Anssi Mäkelä, Senior Manager, Marine Scrubber Systems, Valmet.