Wärtsilä and Silverstream Technologies have signed a licence and co-operation agreement for the Silverstream System, used to coat the entire flat bottom of a vessel with a carpet of microbubbles that reduces frictional resistance and subsequently lowers fuel consumption and related emissions.
By offering the system as part of its propulsion offering for newbuild vessels, Wärtsilä says it can improve compliance with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), as well as increasing fuel efficiency and optimising engine loading.
Going forward, the collaboration agreement will also enable current and future Silverstream customers to access Wärtsilä’s global service network for the maintenance of their Silverstream System installations.
“At Wärtsilä we are committed to fully supporting our customers as they strive to reduce operating costs and improve the environmental sustainability impact of their operations,” said Lars Anderson, Director, Propulsion, Wärtsilä Marine.
“[This] agreement enables us to facilitate the building of better vessels that meet tomorrow’s challenges today, and Silverstream are the ideal partners to help us realise this goal.”