The Finnish company Wärtsilä, which is the world's leading supplier of propulsion systems for ships, and the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd have made an agreement to develop jointly a new low-speed marine diesel engine. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd is the world's foremost shipbuilding company.

By combining their resources and experience the companies will achieve benefits in developing and producing the new engine, which will be suited to several types of ships such as bulk carriers, large product tankers, container feeder vessels and medium-sized reefer ships. There is a demand on the market for a high-efficiency engine that is structurally compact and environment-friendly. Wärtsilä has developed the environment-friendly EnviroEngine, which has been delivered to numerous ships since 2001. No visible smoke comes from the engine at all. The purpose of the new engine is to meet these market needs. Environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important. Deliveries of the first new, jointly-developed engines to customers will begin during the last quarter of 2004.

Wärtsilä has a wide range of low-speed Sulzer diesel engines. Mitsubishi also has its own range of low-speed diesel engines. In addition, the company has cooperated since 1925 in the construction of Sulzer engines and also tested and built the first new Sulzer low-speed engines. The agreement that has now been made will take the cooperation a step forward, including joint planning and development work.

Wärtsilä's net sales in 2001 amounted to EUR 2.4 billion and the company employs some 12,000 people. Mitsubishi's net sales totalled about EUR 22 billion in 2001 and the company employs some 35,700 people.

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