Wärtsilä signs major training contract with Dutch ship owner
Wärtsilä Corporation, Trade & Technical Press release, 11 January 2010
The Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy has been nominated as the preferred training partner of Wagenborg Shipping. Customised training strengthens the bond between Wärtsilä and its customer.
Wärtsilä has signed a three-year training contract with its long-time customer Wagenborg Shipping of the Netherlands. The agreement covers the training of more than 830 of the shipping company’s crew members, and will be held at Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy training centres. The training consists of about 70 courses a year. The programme includes product specific instruction on diesel engines and propulsion systems, as well as customised training in electrical engineering, navigation, hydraulics and pneumatics.
“Wagenborg Shipping employs more than a thousand seamen on its vessels. They come not only from the Netherlands and other parts of Europe, but from various parts of the world. Currently we have more than 20 nationalities represented, including some from China, and recently also Vietnam,” says Mr Cees Horvers, General Manager, Wagenborg Shipping, Manning Department.
“Moreover, general strategic analyses indicate that the number of different nationalities and cultures on vessels will likely increase in the future. Given these facts, Wagenborg will benefit from a partner who is able to provide a wide range of both practical and theoretical dedicated training programmes at various locations around the world. Most importantly, these training programmes will, regardless of time or place, guarantee the same standard and level of tuition. Wagenborg has found such a partner in the Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy,” says Mr Horvers.
Wärtsilä’s Land & Sea Academy organisation operates in ten locations around the globe (Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, India, South Korea, Philippines, USA and Brazil). The Land & Sea Academy provides customised training programmes for Wärtsilä´s customers and technical product instruction for Wärtsilä employees. The customer training programmes are designed mainly for the operation and maintenance of products delivered by Wärtsilä. Additionally, more general courses on subjects, such as safety management and nautical training, are also offered. The Land &Sea Academy courses are all run by certified professional instructors. In all, some 10,000 people are trained annually at these facilities.
Wagenborg Shipping has more than 150 vessels in its fleet, with a capacity ranging from 1000 to 20,000 dwt. The company specializes in container carriers, and in dry-cargo transportation using ice-strengthened bulk carriers and multipurpose vessels. It also has a fleet of roll-on/roll-off paper carriers used for the transportation of forestry products. Many of the Wagenborg vessels are equipped with Wärtsilä engines and propulsion systems.
Wagenborg is continuously investing in the competences of its fleet operators in order to optimize the efficiency of the vessels and the equipment on board. The company’s selection of the Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academy as its preferred training provider, was based on the company’s long-standing relationship with Wärtsilä, and the high volume of Wärtsilä products on board its vessels.
The training programmes for Wagenborg Shipping have been designed according to the customer’s specifications, and will consist of 4 to14 day modules concentrating on a particular product or product competence. The training results are reviewed in periodical evaluation sessions.
“The training programme for Wagenborg Shipping will be delivered through the Wärtsilä Land & Sea Academies in the Netherlands and Philippines. The new, modern and extended training facilities in Waalwijk, the Netherlands were opened in April, and provide an excellent environment for high quality professional studies,” says Henri van Boxtel, General Manager, Services Sales, Wärtsilä in the Netherlands.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2008, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion with 19,000 employees. The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
Wärtsilä Corporation, press release