Wärtsilä and Silverstream join forces

By offering the Silverstream System as an integral part of Wärtsilä’s propulsion solution for newbuild vessels, compliance with the Energy Efficiency Design Index will be further improved. Under the agreement, the Silverstream System will also be available for retrofit installations on existing vessels where Wärtsilä is a primary solution provider.

Lars Anderson, director, propulsion, Wärtsilä Marine, said, “At Wärtsilä we are committed to fully supporting our customers as they strive to reduce operating costs and improve the environmental sustainability impact of their operations. Today’s agreement enables us to facilitate the building of better vessels that meet tomorrow’s challenges today, and Silverstream are the ideal partners to help us realise this goal.”

This new partnership will speed the use of air lubrication systems across all vessel classes, from small bulk vessels to the largest container ships and will enable Silverstream customers to access Wärtsilä’s global service network for maintenance, whilst providing access Silverstream’s technology to more ship owners.

The Silverstream System creates a carpet of microbubbles that coat the entire flat bottom of the vessel. This carpet reduces frictional resistance between the hull and the water, reducing fuel consumption and related emissions. The technology works in all maritime conditions, is not weather dependent and does not adversely impact the normal operational profile of the vessel.