Wärtsilä and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) have extended an existing service agreement, originally reached in 2013, until 2028.

As part of the original deal, Wärtsilä is using improved turbocharger maintenance to optimise the maintenance efficiency of 46 RCL ships.

Wärtsilä is also providing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) spare parts, workshop services and preferred technical assistance for the vessels.

Under the new agreement, Wärtsilä will maintain a total of 196 engines installed on 46 RCL ships, most of which sail in the Caribbean and Europe.

The majority of vessels in RCL’s fleet feature Wärtsilä’s condition monitoring technology, which is designed to send real-time information about the engine condition to a Wärtsilä Expertise Centre for analysis.

The technology enables scheduled predictive maintenance and optimisation of operations.

The extended deal will also allow RCL Global Marine to make continuous improvements by having direct access to the technical innovations going on at Wärtsilä.

“When it comes to maintenance planning and operations, the marine and cruise industry is moving more and more toward long-term partnerships.”

Wärtsilä Services North America service unit director Sean Carey said: “When it comes to maintenance planning and operations, the marine and cruise industry is moving more and more toward long-term partnerships.

“This is a natural direction, as it enables a holistic approach to vessel maintenance.

“A partner that understands the installation and optimises their condition throughout their lifecycle can help the Royal Caribbean to enhance their business. Close cooperation is essential in such partnerships.”

In August, Wärtsilä secured a deal to replace the generating sets on-board De Beers Marine’s diamond mining ship, Debmar Pacific.

The deal involves the vessel to be configured with new Wärtsilä gensets to extend the lifetime and improve reliability.