Wärtsilä to power first CWA designed tanker

Wärtsilä has signed a design and propulsion system order with Taiwan’s Jong Shyn Shipbuilding for a product chemical tanker. The 6,500 dwt vessel, due for delivery in 2011, is for CPC Corporation (CPC), a Taiwanese state-owned oil company. This is the first order through the Wärtsilä network for a design developed by Conan Wu Associates (CWA), a Wärtsilä ship design company, since it was acquired in September 2008.

In addition to the design, Wärtsilä will deliver the entire propulsion system, which is to be based around a 9-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 32 main engine, gearbox, and a controllable pitch propeller. Wärtsilä’s extensive scope of supply includes other equipment, such as a bow thruster, the propulsion control system, and all shaft seals and bearings. The contract also includes the supply of an Integrated Automation System for not only the machinery spaces, but the entire ship.

With an overall length of 110 m and an18 m beam, the single screw tanker will be equipped with a propulsion arrangement capable of delivering a ship speed of up to 13.4 knots at design draught condition.

Willy Perng, Sales Manager, Wärtsilä in Taiwan, said that Wärtsilä has enjoyed a good and long-standing relationship with the customer. CPC has already 12 sets of Wärtsilä two-stroke engines installed in its fleet. “The contract marks a significant milestone for Wärtsilä in that it is the first time we have dealt with the Jong Shyn shipyard in Kaohsiung City . It is also the first time we have supplied CPC with new four-stroke main engines, and the first ever ship design we have sold in Taiwan,” added Perng.

“The shipowner had specified a modern, fuel-efficient, and environmentally sound ship, and Wärtsilä’s integrated ship power and design solution was the best choice. Our package was more cost effective than that of our competitors as it included a life-time support and care package,” said Perng.

CWA, which now is a part of Wärtsilä Ship Design, was acquired by Wärtsilä to demonstrate Wärtsilä’s commitment to becoming the leading provider of ship design services in specialized areas, including offshore and special vessels, as well as selected merchant vessels. The acquisition of CWA expanded the geographical scope of Wärtsilä’s ship design services while it also complemented and broadened Wärtsilä’s ship design competence to cover a larger range of vessel types, including smaller, less complicated, and more standardized vessels. CWA has its main operations in Singapore.