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LONG-TERM VESSEL DEVELOPMENT TEXT ISABELLE KLIGER
PHOTO SOFIA SABEL, MAGNUS GLANS Still friends after For companies at the cutting edge of technology, long-term collaborations with trusted partners are a must. Wallenius Marine has been working with Swedish-based maritime knowledge company SSPA for almost four decades, and the relationship is only growing stronger. 40 YEARS of partnership “H istorically, SSPA primarily delivered model testing and evaluation services to us, but, over the years, we’ve developed a strong, mutually beneficial partnership,” says Carl-Johan Söder, Design Manager at Wallenius Marine. He explains that SSPA has been responsible for testing and evaluating the speed-power performance of the company’s vessels at its state-ofthe-art facility in Gothenburg since the 1970s. These days, the two companies are involved in various joint research and development projects, including the development of the world’s first almost-completely-emission-free wind-powered Pure Car Carrier (wPCC). ACCORDING TO SOFIA Werner, PhD, SSPA’s Manager Strategic Research Hydrodynamics, the project stands to benefit considerably from the historic partnership between the TOGETHER, WE’RE DEVELOPING A HUGE DEPTH OF EXPERTISE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES. two companies. “We’ve collaborated on a variety of joint projects that have sought to improve the fuel 20 OUR WAY PARTNERSHIPS efficiency of Wallenius Marine’s vessels. As a result, we have plenty of data, which enables us to benchmark the properties of the new vessel against existing vessels in its fleet,” she explains, adding that when two companies have worked continuously together for so long, it creates a mutual understanding of both their technical and commercial realities. “Having the opportunity to work with a partner that is not only a global leader in terms of technology and expertise, but also understands our business and what we do, is absolutely invaluable,” agrees Carl-Johan Söder. OVER THE YEARS, Wallenius Marine’s and SSPA’s joint projects have focused increasingly on fuel economy and CO2 reductions. “Together, we’re developing a huge depth of expertise in the development of sustainable technologies, such as windpowered vessels. As the global merchant fleet seeks drastically to reduce its CO2 emissions, we look forward to working together on many more similar projects in the future,” says Sofia Werner. Carl-Johan Söder