Wärtsilä Corporation, Press release, 12 December 2016 at 12.30 EET Wärtsilä has signed a long-term Technical Management Agreement to optimise the performance of ten of the Spanish company Albacora S.A.'s fishing vessels. The 5-year agreement was tailored to meet the requirements of Albacora's fleet management, providing technical assistance and maintenance planning for fishing vessels operating around the world. Wärtsilä has previously provided Albacora with engines and propulsion systems as well as seals and bearings. The new agreement includes monitoring of the equipment as well as yearly audits, which together provide ship condition data that serves as the basis for enhanced maintenance planning, leading to maximised availability. Wärtsilä's Contract Management supports scheduled and unscheduled maintenance planning, and field service experts are available globally should any problems occur. Spare parts are also included in the agreement. "Albacora S.A. is looking for partners that understand our business and can offer a fast answer to technical troubles - especially unexpected ones. Fast response is essential in our business as is professional service providing reliable solutions, and we hope that the signed agreement will answer this important and basic need. On the other hand, we place great importance in Wärtsilä knowing our vessels and their history thoroughly in order to determine future maintenance needs. Maximising the reliability and availability of our fleet is the best way to ensure profitability, and this is where we expect Wärtsilä's service expertise to bring added value," says Mr. Frank Bermeosolo, Technical Director, Albacora. Global service at short notice The Spanish Albacora S.A. is specialised in fishing, including transportation, storage, distribution, marketing and packaging of its products. The company was founded in 1974 with offices in Bermeo, Bilbao, Madrid, and Cadiz. Albacora's fishing vessels operate in Central and Western Pacific, Eastern tropical Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean, which means that support services must be available globally at short notice. "Wärtsilä's global service network ensures the availability and reliability of Albacora's fleet around the world, even in risky areas in which cases of piracy are still reported. Our priority is to support Albacora's business by providing cost-efficient, high-quality maintenance and advisory services that allow the company to operate safely and effectively," says Till Siegmann, Director, Service Unit Ibérica, Wärtsilä. "Our cooperation with Albacora has been fruitful and we look forward to developing it further with this new agreement. The next step is to evaluate suitable digital solutions in order to further improve our services."