Wärtsilä has signed a five-year Lifecycle Agreement with UK-based P&O Ferries, covering two vessels, the ‘Pioneer’ and ‘Liberté’.
The agreement is designed to optimise and ensure minimal impact on operations, while providing maintenance cost predictability. With ferries playing an important role in meeting demand for environmentally sustainable transport options, Wärtsilä considers it to be crucial for ferry operations to run smoothly and efficiently, in order to avoid unnecessary costs, fuel consumption and emissions.
The scope of the Lifecycle Agreement with P&O Ferries includes parts and maintenance services, as well as maintenance planning, operational support and Wärtsilä’s Expert Insight predictive maintenance service. This means issues can be identified before they cause a delay in the schedule. Delays are a major pain point for ferry operators because delays engender a need to make up time through increasing speed which, consequently, results in higher fuel bills and emissions.
Stephen Pitt, Senior Procurement Manager, P&O Ferries said: “We are focused on making P&O Ferries the best ferry company in Europe and this includes doing everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environment. The ability to leverage Wärtsilä’s advanced digital solutions is central to this – helping us to improve vessel uptime, save fuel and decrease emissions.”
Both vessels feature hybrid propulsion with battery power and four high-efficiency Wärtsilä 31 main engines. They are expected to produce 40% fewer emissions than the ships they replace. By ensuring optimal performance, the agreement will further enhance the ships’ environmental sustainability.
Lee Martindale, Wärtsilä GM Sales UK and Ireland, said: “Wärtsilä shares P&O Ferries’ commitment to decarbonising shipping operations. We are, therefore, extremely pleased to support these two environmentally friendly ferries by optimising their operational performance. The Lifecycle Agreement represents a partnership for highest operational efficiency, and the experts supported by digitals tools to ensure minimal interruption, as well as reliable and sustainable operations.”
The Pioneer commenced commercial operations in June 2023, while the Liberté is scheduled to enter service in early 2024. The 230m long ships are the world’s largest double-ended ferries, and sail between Dover, England and Calais, France.
Image: Wärtsilä has signed a Lifecycle Agreement with P&O Ferries, covering two vessels, ‘Pioneer’ (pictured) and ‘Liberté’ (credit P&O Ferries)
