Wärtsilä and NMDC ink lifecycle agreement for seven dredgers

Technology group Wärtsilä and NMDC Group, one of the largest dredging and marine contractors in the Middle East, have signed a five-year Lifecycle Agreement for seven NMDC dredgers.

The agreement, with the potential to expand the scope to additional vessels in the future, includes a tailor-made maintenance programme for the engine and propulsion equipment onboard the vessels, as well as digital solutions and performance guarantees. These are all aimed at increasing fleet availability and optimising maintenance costs.

With demand for its services increasing, the availability of its vessels is essential to NMDC’s operations. By leveraging Wärtsilä’s cutting-edge digital tools, such as Expert Insight, delivered through Wärtsilä’s global Expertise Centres, NMDC is expected to significantly reduce planned downtime, leading to increased revenues.

“Increasing availability and reducing downtime of our vessels is a priority for our company. That’s why this new agreement with Wärtsilä serves as a cornerstone in our efforts to advance reliable and sustainable operations within the Middle East,” said Peter Marvin, Chief Technical & Resource Pool Officer at NMDC Group.

“NMDC’s fleet operates in highly demanding environments, where uptime and vessel flexibility are critical. Our tailored digital solutions and expert operational support will ensure that their vessels are not only more reliable but also operate at peak efficiency throughout the contract duration, in turn, saving fuel and lowering emissions,” commented Henrik Wilhelms, Director, Agreement Sales at Wärtsilä.

According to estimations made, the additional uptime made possible by the agreement may increase the operational and charter/client schedule flexibility, and provide the potential for additional earnings up to 3,000,000 EUR. Similarly, the contract includes Dynamic Maintenance Planning, which reduces maintenance costs by 14%.