Finland’s ship engine maker Wärtsilä has been awarded the contract to supply newbuild Chinese container vessels with a total of 24 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 Auxpac generating sets.
The engines will power six 21,000 TEU ships being built at the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipyard (SWS) for China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL). The order was placed in June with Wärtsilä’s joint venture company CSSC Wärtsilä Engine (Shanghai) Co Ltd (CWEC).
According to the Finnish company, the Wärtsilä 32 is the most powerful of the company’s Auxpac range of generating sets. In March of this year, the engine was ordered for eight new CSCL container ships; in January 2015 for five new container vessels built for China Ocean Shipping Group (COSCO), and also in 2015 for another 11 new COSCO vessels. Four Wärtsilä 32 engines are required for each of these ships.
“It is very clear that the Wärtsilä 32 Auxpac is the right choice for this segment of the market. Repeat orders are the most solid endorsement of this fact, and the engine is perfect for ships with an auxiliary power need in the 2500 kWe to 4500 kWe range,” says Stefan Wiik, Vice President, Engines, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions .
The Wärtsilä engines will be delivered to the yard starting mid-2017.