Yes, Wärtsilä makes water-jets!

Trieste - No one doubts the notoriety of the Wärtsilä brand, neither in the energy field nor in the world of shipping. When it comes to shipping and Wärtsilä, the first image that comes to mind is that of large-sized engines and propulsion components: shaft lines, reduction gears and propellers.

But in reality Wärtsilä’s portfolio of products is very broad, and in the area of propulsion in particular, it includes - to some people’s surprise - water-jets, which the company has produced for many years. The Riva Calzoni company, which tested its first water-jet in 1932, combined forces with LIPS in 1988, and with the acquisition of the latter company by Wärtsilä in 2002, the first Wärtsilä water-jets were born. The latest evolution of the product is the mid-size plug-and-play water-jet, which is the most compact, easy to install and intuitive to use. Wärtsilä wanted to make this product better known in Italy by presenting it to a select clientele at its Trieste plant on November 13th. In the modern and well-equipped Auditorium of Bagnoli della Rosandra, representatives of the Italian Navy, the university, the CNR and RINA met, plus designers and representatives of technical offices.

The General Product Group Manager for Waterjets, Leendert Muijlwiik, who is Dutch, described the technical features of the water-jets, the different applications and their many uses in the military field. Leendert emphasized the design of the high-pressure pump, the ease of maintenance and use, and the flexibility of the product, which can be used in various kinds of vessels, from 20m to 80m in length, with velocities from 25 to 55 knots. This propulsion system is no obstacle to sailing in shallow water, since no part of the water-jet descends below water level, and it provides better efficiency because it can be used with lower-powered engines, which are lighter. Furthermore it ensures low noise and vibration levels and is very light, since many of its components are made of aluminium. The most important parts for the functioning of the water-jet are of course made of steel, as is the case with the entire series of modular water-jets.

It was enough material to raise many questions from the audience that were interested in this sort of propulsion system, which can be applied in many fields. But nothing can present the product as well as the product itself; once everyone put on hard hats and safety shoes, the workshop was transferred to the nearby Propulsion Assembly building where everything had been prepared for a live demonstration. The water-jet for the demonstration, sent from Holland by special transport, was realigned, neatly placed on a platform, and started up to better illustrate the technical issues that were previously described in words. Of course there were no sprays of water…

This half day dedicated to water-jets, at the largest Wärtsilä factory in the world, could not but include a factory tour to show what is an important aspect of Italian excellence in production: a clean, orderly, and efficient factory, almost Northern-European looking, but still a good representation of Italy’s own national traditions. The tour started in the Propulsion department, and continued through the assembly and processing phases, going past enormous hub rollers, shaft lines and reduction gears. Immediately after that was the main 4-stroke production area, which was also spotless, where, step by step, one could see a rough iron framework transformed into a fully assembled engine, ready to be tested and shipped. And if this sounds like the best one could hear about the product, at the production facility in Bagnoli della Rosandra, the corporation recently announced that it will invest more in quality and professionalism to make this facility its flagship factory.

Returning to November 13th, it was an important day that emphasized the role of Wärtsilä as a “Total Solutions Provider” and therefore as a provider of solutions for high speed shipping, thus reiterating that, yes, Wärtsilä makes water-jets. It was important, useful and gratifying not only to talk about the product, but even more importantly to listen to the clients, to better understand their needs, to get to know their points of view, in order to be, not only a “provider,” but also a partner, throughout all the sectors of the shipping industry.