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Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading ship power system integrator, has received its first order for its new Wärtsilä RT-flex35 two-stroke engine, which is said to offer low fuel consumption as one of its major features.

The Wärtsilä licensee, Yichang Marine Diesel Engine Co. (YMD), manufacturing low-speed marine engines in China, has signed a contract with Ningbo Donghai Shipping Co. Ltd. to deliver five Wärtsilä RT-flex35 engines for a series of five chemical tankers.

"Among low-speed engines with smaller bores, the biggest advantages of Wärtsilä RT-flex35 are its low fuel consumption and its compliance with environmental regulations, both of which fully meet our customer's expectations. Operational flexibility and the improved fuel efficiency offered by the RT-flex35 engine were important considerations when YMD decided to offer this engine type," said Andrew Stump, Sales Director, two-stroke engines, Wärtsilä in China.

"Wärtsilä will continue to provide support during the project implementation process to ensure the highest levels of quality and on-time delivery," Mr Stump continued.

The 17,000 dwt chemical tankers will be built by the Ningbo Shipyard Group in the province of Fujian, China. The ship owner is Ningbo Donghai Shipping Co., which will operate the ships in international trade between the Far East, the Middle East and Europe. The contract signed in January with Ningbo Donghai Shipping Co. is the first order for Wärtsilä RT-flex35 engines.

Delivery of the first engine is scheduled for August 2011. The scope of the contract includes five 6-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex35 common rail diesel engines with a power output of 5220 kW (7099 bhp).

The Wärtsilä RT-flex35 engine

Wärtsilä started the product development project for Wärtsilä RT-flex35 engines three years ago as a cooperation project with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd in Japan and YMD in China.

The Wärtsilä RT-flex35 is designed to provide optimal power and speed combinations for a number of ship types, including handy size bulk carriers, product tankers, general cargo ships, reefer ships, feeder container ships, and small LPG carriers. The engine is available in five to eight cylinder configurations and covers a power range of 3475-6960 kW at 142-167 rpm.

Wärtsilä's licensee Yichang Marine Diesel Engine Co., Ltd. (YMD)

YMD is one of China's leading marine engine manufacturing companies and part of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. YMD began manufacturing low-speed diesel engines in 1983 and manufactures engines with power outputs in the range 3000-17,000 kW.

Under licence from Wärtsilä, YMD manufactures low-speed marine engines with bore sizes in the 35-60 cm range, including Wärtsilä RT-flex50 common-rail engines.