Wärtsilä and IHI Marine United sign co-operat...

Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade & Technical Press release, 12 March 2009

Wärtsilä, the leading ship power system integrator of the marine
industry, and IHI Marine United Inc. (IHIMU) of Japan, have concluded
a co-operation agreement. Under the agreement, Contra-Rotating
Propeller (CRP) systems developed by IHIMU will be incorporated into
Wärtsilä's propulsion solutions used on board diesel-electric driven
ships.

The co-operation agreement mainly covers the European market, where
the environmental demands on shipping operations are becoming
increasingly stringent.

The IHIMU CRP systems have been installed over a period of more than
20 years onboard VLCC and bulk carrier vessels. The company has
further developed its CRP systems for diesel-electric ship
applications installed from 2007 onwards.

Wärtsilä is able to totally engineer a highly efficient propulsion
solution incorporating the IHIMU CRP systems into a comprehensive
system that is environmentally sound. Wärtsilä is, therefore, able to
market the CRP system as an integrated part of its propulsion
solution.

The IHIMU CRP system achieves 10% better propulsion efficiency
compared to conventional diesel-electric propulsion systems, and is
applicable to all vessels from small ships to large LNG carriers.
This efficiency improvement translates into significant fuel savings,
thus enabling a short return on investment as well as reduced
greenhouse gas emissions.

The application of the CRP system could be extended to include hybrid
(mechanical driven and electric driven) propulsion systems, and
four-stroke mechanical systems, at a future stage.

Wärtsilä is present in 70 countries, and the Wärtsilä's network will
ensure after sales support for the whole IHIMU CRP system, together
with Wärtsilä propulsion solutions, thereby offering ship owners
reliable worldwide coverage for maintenance and repairs.

Following the signing of the agreement with IHIMU, Mr Lars Anderson,
Vice President, Merchant, Wärtsilä Ship Power, commented: "The fuel
savings and lower emissions of the IHIMU CRP system makes it a
perfect fit for Wärtsilä's propulsion solutions offering. It will
enhance our company's strategic goal of being a total solutions
provider, while at the same time boosting our ability to help ship
operators and owners meet the challenge of reducing CO2 emission
levels. It is also important to note that the payback time for the
CRP system is rather short, which is an important economic aspect for
owners."


Link to pictures
Caption 1: Picture of the Contra-Rotating Propeller (CRP) system.
Caption 2: Layout of a typical arrangement for a Wärtsilä - IHIMU CRP
system in diesel-electric mode.


Media contacts:

Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund
Senior Manager, PR and Marketing Communications
Wärtsilä Corporation
Direct tel: [phone]
Direct fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
Internet: www.wartsila.com

Mr Hideki Shuto
Manager, Engineering Div.
IHI Marine United Inc.
Direct tel: [phone]
Direct fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]


Wärtsilä Corporation in brief:
Wärtsilä enhances the business of its customers by providing them
with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating better and
environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä focuses on the
marine and energy markets with products and solutions as well as
services. Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out
to be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is
achieved by the dedication of close to 19,000 professionals manning
160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on
the Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com


IHIMU in brief:
IHI Marine United Inc., Shipbuilding and Offshore operations of IHI
group, is the leading shipbuilder in Japan, delivering world largest
container ship, tankers, bulk carriers and so on for its history of
more than 100 years.

Based on accumulated technology from its shipbuilding activity, IHIMU
has established its unique technology of CRP system and achieved
successful result of "Super-Eco Ship Project" in Japan, utilizing
excellent performance of IHIMU CRP system. IHIMU is serving for our
customers not only as the shipbuilder but also solution provider for
environmentally friendly ships.
www.ihi.co.jp/ihimu/english/index-e.html


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