Wärtsilä extends China licencing agreement
Wärtsilä Corporation says it has signed new licences with seven long-term Chinese partners, allowing them to continue manufacturing, selling and servicing Wärtsilä low-speed engines for ten more years, Ship & Bunker reports.
The companies include four engine companies that are part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation: Hudong Heavy Machinery Co. Ltd. (HHM), CSSC-MES Diesel Co. Ltd. (CMD), Zhenjiang CME Co. Ltd. (CME) and CSSC Guangzhou Marine Diesel Engine Co. Ltd. (GMD), as well as three companies that belong to China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation: Dalian Marine Diesel Co. Ltd. (DMD), Qingdao Qiyao Wärtsilä MHI Linshan Marine Diesel Co. Ltd. (QMD), and
"The application of new technologies has made the Wärtsilä two-stroke engine extremely competitive in terms of fuel consumption, exhaust emissions, and performance," said Qin Wenquan, chairman of the boards of HHM and CMD.
"As regards mutual co-operation, Wärtsilä continuously strengthens its communication with licensees, and provides strong support in both technology and marketing aspects.
"This has been especially relevant during the recent depressed market situation, where Wärtsilä has stood tightly with the licensees to overcome the difficulties together."
Wärtsilä credited fuel-saving technology with much of its success, including achieving 1,000 orders for its two-stroke common-rail RT-flex low-speed diesel engines by November 2012.