The new licence agreement with CMD will enable a significant contribution to the delivery of Wärtsilä low-speed marine engines to the shipbuilding industry in China. The agreement also reinforces the partnership between Wärtsilä and CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation) through Wärtsilä's existing licensees Hudong Heavy Machinery Co Ltd and Zhenjiang CME Co Ltd which are both members of the CSSC group.
Wärtsilä currently has 17 licensees related to production of low-speed engines located in Asia, South America, and Europe.
CMD was established in 2006 as a joint venture of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, China CSSC Holdings Ltd, and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co Ltd with its factory in Shanghai Lingang heavy equipment production area, close to major shipyards. It is already a major builder of low-speed marine engines. In 2008, the company expects to have built engines with an aggregate power of 960 MW (1.3 million bhp). It has a target of an annual production by 2011 of more than 100 engines amounting to more than 2200 MW (3.0 million bhp).