Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a five-year lifecycle service agreement with Greek LNG management company Alpha Gas. The agreement covers two LNG carriers, each equipped with four Wärtsilä 34DF engines, aiming to enhance Alpha Gas’s operational capabilities, optimize vessel availability, and improve maintenance cost predictability. The order was officially booked in the second quarter of 2025.
Currently, under the dual pressures of stringent regulatory requirements and complex economic conditions, shipowners and operators are increasingly in need of operational support to maximize efficiency and asset utilization. LNG carriers, in particular, face significant challenges due to unscheduled downtime, making vessel reliability a critical priority.
Peter Lonski, Technical Director of Alpha Gas, stated: “Our core objective is to ensure our entire fleet maintains the highest levels of efficiency and reliability. This agreement with Wärtsilä will help us achieve this goal while enabling more accurate maintenance cost forecasting. With dynamic maintenance planning, we also expect to extend engine overhaul intervals, further optimizing operational costs.”
Under the agreement, Wärtsilä will provide round-the-clock expert remote support, professional diagnostics, troubleshooting, and maintenance guidance to help Alpha Gas optimize the operation and maintenance of these two LNG carriers more efficiently. Wärtsilä experts can directly monitor vessel systems, using advanced diagnostic tools to provide real-time troubleshooting for crews, accelerating issue resolution. Additionally, the agreement includes preventive interventions to avoid costly repairs and on-site services later, thereby minimizing operational and lifecycle costs.
Henrik Wilhelms, Director of Agreement Sales for Wärtsilä Marine, said: “The shipping industry is complex and multifaceted, which is why we always adopt a collaborative approach with our customers, tailoring agreements to their specific needs to add value to operations. Each business model is unique, and we are committed to ensuring our customers’ assets deliver maximum value throughout their lifecycle—a critical factor as the industry focuses on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”
Notably, in November 2024, Wärtsilä signed a similar agreement with Alpha Gas covering two additional LNG carriers. With this, Wärtsilä’s lifecycle service agreements now encompass four sister vessels in Alpha Gas’s fleet: the Energy Pacific, Energy Endeavour, Energy Integrity, and Energy Intelligence.
