EMEA News
Wärtsilä Audit Identifies "Deviations" in Fuel Consumption Tests
Finland-based Wärtsilä Corporation Monday announced that an internal audit conducted by the company found "deviations" in certain fuel consumption tests conducted on marine engines at a delivery centre in Trieste, Italy.
Wärtsilä said the internal audit found that certain engines experienced a deviation of around one percent in terms of fuel consumption from what had been reported by the company to customers.
The press release estimated that the issue affected two percent of engine deliveries and said the deviations had been caused by a limited number of personnel who had "clearly" acted against work instructions and the company's code of conduct by influencing test results.
"Wärtsilä requires all its employees to act in accordance with internal guidelines as well as laws and regulations. We deeply apologize for any loss in trust caused by this violation to our policies and corporate values, and we will immediately start reaching out to our customers," said Jaakko Eskola, President and CEO, Wärtsilä.
The press release also noted that the engines in question have fulfilled all regulatory and classification society requirements and that the potentially affected vessels have met sea trial requirements.
Engines for power plant customers are not impacted, and there is no evidence of deviations in other operations, according to the company.
The company also stated that, in order to secure new and transparent processes and controls, it has reviewed all test procedures, and taken immediate corrective actions where deviations have been found.
In October 2015, Ship & Bunker reported that fellow engine manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo SE was sued after it allegedly manipulated fuel consumption figures of engines.
