The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to upgrade the performance of four vessels owned by Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC)
The contract is for retrofitting the Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost solution to the ships’ main engines.
The modification will reduce fuel consumption, and correspondingly lessen the environmental impact by lowering greenhouse gas emission levels.
The order with Wärtsilä was placed in the first quarter of 2020. KOTC and other major ship owners who have taken a proactive approach towards environmental protection have been actively looking for ways to reduce their fuel consumption and carbon footprint, thus paving the way for them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Wärtsilä solution is based on two-stroke engine optimisation technology for selected Wärtsilä RT-flex and earlier deliveries of X-type two-stroke engines. The four KOTC very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to be retrofitted operate with seven-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex82T two-stroke main engines. The retrofitting of the vessels with the Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost will take place over the coming six months.
Riad Belaid, area sales GM, Middle East & Asia, 2-stroke & Specialised Services, Wärtsilä Marine Business, said, “Our smart marine approach is dedicated towards raising efficiencies and improving the environmental sustainability of marine operations. The Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost is completely aligned with this philosophy, while at the same time lowering operating costs.”
Ali Shehab, KOTC’s acting CEO, said, “By modifying the main engines of these carriers, we are assured of operating with the latest technology and having the best operational efficiency.”
