Wärtsilä Corporation has confirmed today that, following a global internal audit of test processes, "deviations" in certain fuel consumption measurement tests were detected for marine engines at Wärtsilä's delivery centre in Trieste, Italy.
The deviations were said to be, on average, 1 percent of fuel consumption. Of all the company's engine deliveries, a total of 2 percent may have been affected, Wärtsilä said.
The engine manufacturer pointed out that the engines in question have fulfilled the regulatory and classification society requirements, and that the potentially affected vessels have met sea trial requirements.
"According to our evaluation, the customer impact of the deviations is marginal," Wärtsilä stressed.
Commenting on the reason for the deviations, Wärtsilä said that, based on its analysis, they had been caused by "a limited number of personnel, who have clearly acted against work instructions and our code of conduct by influencing the test results."
"These actions are in dire violation of corporate policies and the company takes the matter extremely seriously. In order to secure new and transparent processes and controls, Wärtsilä has reviewed all test procedures, and taken immediate corrective actions where deviations have been found. Consequently, we can confirm that the tests fulfil our high standards," Wärtsilä added.
President and CEO,
Jaakko Eskola, remarked: "Wärtsilä requires all its employees to act in accordance with internal guidelines as well as laws and regulations. We deeply apologise for any loss in trust caused by this violation to our policies and corporate values, and we will immediately start reaching out to our customers."
