Seoul: Hyundai Heavy Industries and leading engine manufacturer Wärtsilä have celebrated the ground-breaking of a new joint venture engine manufacturing plant at the Yeongam in South Korea. The new company, known as Wärtsilä-Hyundai Engine Company, will be dedicated to producing Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines for LNG vessels. It is scheduled to be in production by the second half of 2008 and will produce approximately 100 engines per year.
In a statement, Wärtsilä said, "Demand in this market is expected to continue to grow in tandem with the increasing global demand for natural gas. Korea currently has a market share exceeding 70% of the LNG shipbuilding market."
The Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engine offers operating economy and reduced exhaust emissions. The engine can be run either on natural gas or on marine diesel oil (MDO) or on heavy fuel oil (HFO) and can smoothly switch between fuels during engine operation.
Wärtsilä has also announced that it is to manufacture Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP) in India by end 2008, at it's the existing Export Oriented Unit (EOU) at Khopoli, near Mumbai. "Having CPP manufacturing in India will benefit our Ship Power customers in India, the rest of Asia and Europe," said Jari Salo, Wärtsilä vp for propulsion. "The customers will have an access to integrated propeller and gear packages from one source. The manufacturing will also serve the whole group through component sourcing"
The factory will manufacture D-Hub CPPs ranging from Type 4D330 to Type 4D1190. Currently, activities at Wärtsilä's factory at Khopoli include engine assembly, reconditioning of engine parts, propeller blade repair, manufacturing auxiliary modules, gearboxes, HR nozzles, oil distribution boxes and the training school Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy. [05/09/07]
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