The Wärtsilä propulsion solutions will be installed in nine 80 ton Bollard Pull (BP) tugboats, and five 50 ton BP tugboats, being built at the Damen shipyard in Holland. The contracts were signed in August 2012, and delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for 2014 and 2015. The ships will be used for port operations at the Kuwait oil terminal.

In addition to the engines and propulsion systems, the contract includes Wärtsilä's Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) systems for each of the 14 vessels. CBM provides remote condition monitoring of the engines, and enables accurate and cost-effective predictive maintenance. Of the 28 engines ordered to power these vessels, the nine 80 ton BP tugboats will be powered by Wärtsilä 26 engines, and the five 50 ton BP tugboats by Wärtsilä 20 engines.

'This is a momentous contract for Wärtsilä,' noted Aaron Bresnahan, Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Power, Sales, in announcing the deal. 'It is one of our largest orders from the Middle East. More importantly, it is further evidence of our ability to provide competitive, integrated propulsion systems that meet the highest quality, efficiency, and reliability demands of today's marine sector customers.'

Condition Based Maintenance for improved lifecycle performance

Wärtsilä's condition monitoring and CBM services assist in meeting the technical, economic, and environmental performance goals for modern machinery installations. By utilising the latest communications technology, the equipment operation parameters can be fine tuned. This involves taking into account the operating profile, the ambient conditions, the type of fuel used, and other factors that affect lifecycle performance.

CBM has become an integral part of maintenance planning for marine applications and power plant installations around the world. By identifying trends and changes in operating parameters well before they might compromise performance, maintenance can be performed only when needed. This in turn optimizes equipment safety, operational availability, and productivity.

Wärtsilä 20 and 26 engines

The Wärtsilä 20 has proven its robustness and reliability with over 4000 engines delivered since its introduction to the market in the early 1990s. The engine can switch from MDO to HFO and vice versa smoothly without power interruption at any engine operation load. The Wärtsilä 26 represents the latest in engine technology advances, combining fuel economy and low exhaust emissions with excellent fuel versatility. The engine has an exceptionally compact profile and thus requires a minimum of space in the engine room.