The technology group Wärtsilä and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have signed a Joint Development Project (JDP) agreement aimed at establishing a more efficient solution for LNG Carrier and Shuttle Tanker vessels. Overall cost optimisation, including both CAPEX and OPEX, is among the project aims. The agreement was signed on 3 April at the LNG19 exhibition in Shanghai.
The JDP will build on the sharing of knowledge and experience between SHI and Wärtsilä, a company with unique single-source supplier credentials. It is expected that the agreement, which provides a level of equality that is greater than in normal shipyard/supplier relationships, will benefit both parties and the industry as a whole, since it gives valuable opportunities for important co-creation.
An important driver for the JDP is the strong LNG carrier newbuilding market. There are potentially dozens of new vessels to be ordered for transporting increasing volumes of LNG from both new and extended export LNG terminals in Africa, Australia, Middle East and USA.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2018, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.