Seatrade-Maritime: Wärtsilä records all-time high order intake in second quarter

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Wärtsilä’s energy and marine sectors notched up record orders which increased by 45% over the second quarter and 37% during the first six months. The company’s orderbook across the two sectors is now worth EUR 4.81 billion and the outlook for the next 12 months is expected to be similar.

“The second quarter of 2026 was strong,” declared Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO of the company. “We achieved an all-time high order intake, while further improving profitability. Elevated geopolitical tensions continued to influence the operating environment. In particular, the conflict in the Middle East increased volatility in the energy and commodity markets, adding complexity to market conditions and contributing to a more uncertain global economic outlook.

Referring specifically to the marine market, he said: “The marine market remained strong despite the continued uncertainty. Geopolitical disruptions, particularly in the Middle East and around the Strait of Hormuz have led to longer voyage distances, trade rerouting, and strategic stockpiling of commodities, which generally support vessel utilisation and freight rates.

“Decarbonisation also remains an integral part of the operating environment,” he noted. “Regulations for international shipping, including China’s new carbon-intensity reduction target, are supporting the industry’s focus on more efficient and future-ready vessels – areas where Wärtsilä is well-positioned through its newbuild solutions and lifecycle services offering.”

“We expect the demand environment over the next 12 months to remain at a similar level in both energy and marine as in the past 12 months,” he continued. “Following two consecutive record order intake quarters in Energy and a record-high order intake in Marine in the second quarter, the outlook reflects a continued strong demand environment, especially in Energy. The strong demand environment is clearly underscored by our decision in the second quarter to further expand capacity.”

The company recently announced further expansion at its Sustainable Technology Hub. This facility is a key focus in the company’s decarbonisation drive in the marine and energy sectors, developing and testing engines designed to operate on sustainable fuels including ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol.

“When fully commissioned in the first quarter of 2029, the expansion will increase output to approximately 2.2 times the 2025 operational level,” Agnevall noted.