Finnish, Chinese designers cooperate on offshore vessels

Finland’s Wärtsilä has informed that its Ship Design unit has entered into a cooperation agreement with Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI), China-based ship design house.

SDARI is a part of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation group (CSSC). According to Wärtsilä, the agreement will cover the designs for various types of vessels for the offshore oil & gas industry. There is also the possibility to extend this cooperation to other vessel types as well, the Finnish company said.

“The agreement provides a means for the two companies to combine their strengths in order to provide customers with a better value proposition. The joint collaboration will give customers access to the industry’s most extensive ship design portfolio combining both the Wärtsilä and SDARI offerings. The cooperation will also enable the same supplier to manage the interface risk between the basic and detail design, which has traditionally been handled by two separate companies,” Wärtsilä said in a statement.

“Wärtsilä has a strong position as a technology and innovative ship design leader, particularly for the offshore and special vessel markets. This agreement will enable us to provide our customers with the world’s most efficient and environmentally sustainable ship designs and technologies,” says Hu Jintao, President of SDARI.