Wärtsilä’s Ship Design unit has entered into a cooperation agreement with Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI), China’s leading ship design house. SDARI is a part of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation group (CSSC). The agreement was signed in December 2015 and will cover the designs for various types of vessels for the offshore oil & gas industry. There is also the possibility to extend this cooperation to other vessel types as well.
The agreement provides a means for the two companies to combine their strengths in order to provide customers with a better value proposition. The joint collaboration will give customers access to the industry’s most extensive ship design portfolio combining both the Wärtsilä and SDARI offerings. The cooperation will also enable the same supplier to manage the interface risk between the basic and detail design, which has traditionally been handled by two separate companies.
Hence, the overall relationship with ship owners and Chinese shipyards will be strengthened through shorter design development times, an in-depth knowledge of all applicable global rules and regulations, and production design capabilities.