Wärtsilä to provide equipment and design for offshore support vessels

Wärtsilä in Finland has received a ship design order from the Norwegian shipping company Sartor Shipping AS. The order is for two Vik-Sandvik 465 FSVs (Field Support Vessel) which will be built at the Wison Heavy Industry shipyard in China. Wärtsilä scope of supply also includes two main engines, gear boxes and propellers. Sartor Shipping has options for further newbuildings at the yard and the vessels are due for delivery in 2010 and 2011.

The design incorporates a hybrid system that offers considerable fuel savings compared to a purely diesel mechanical solution. This is because the available power can be adjusted to meet the various demands of the different operations that this type of vessel will be used for. The savings will be particularly noticeable when operating at lower power loads.

Multi-functionality is an extremely important feature of this design as the vessels are intended for use in a multitude of different tasks. These are likely to include offshore standby service, emergency towing, oil spill recovery, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) operations, fire fighting, tanker assistance and surface surveillance.

The 65.9 m long and 18 m wide newbuildings will have redundant DP II systems and have a service speed of approximately 15.5 knots. They will comply with the BV’s ‘Clean Ship’ notation for pollution prevention.

Wärtsilä acquired the global ship design group Vik-Sandvik in July 2008 and was a major step in Wärtsilä’s strategy to strengthen its position as a total solutions provider and to be the most valued partner for its customers. By combining ship design capability with its existing offering in propulsion systems and automation, Wärtsilä is able to provide more added value to its customers, with further growth potential in new lifecycle services. Wärtsilä’s goal is to become the leading provider of ship design services in various segments.