2 – 5 December 2025
Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), China
中国上海浦东新区龙阳路2345号, 上海新国际博览中心
2 – 5 December 2025
Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), China
中国上海浦东新区龙阳路2345号, 上海新国际博览中心
Mr. Roger Holm
President, Wärtsilä Marine Power
and Executive Vice President, Wärtsilä Corporation
Moderator: Dr WANG Jinbao,
Former Chairman of ITTC Specialist Committees on Operational Performance / Deputy Director of International Exchange Committee of Shanghai Society Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
Wang:
Mr. Roger Holm, Glad to meet you.
On behalf of SSNAME and Informa Markets, I’d like to extend our warm welcome to our distinguished guest- Executive Vice President, Wärtsilä Corporation, President, Wärtsilä Marine Power. HOLM, Thank you very much for accepting our interview before the grand event – Marintec China, wit over 40 years’ glorious history and will be held at the beginning of this December.
Today, it’s my honor to host this interview. This is Jinbao Wang, from SSNAME, also senior expert on hydrodynamics from MARIC, the earliest and one of the most famous design and research institute in China.
Mr. Roger Holm, as warm up to this interview, would you please give us brief account of yourself?
Holm:
Absolutely, thank you Dr Wang and thank you for inviting me to this interview. It’s my pleasure to be part of this. I have been part of Wärtsilä for twenty-five years, so I have a long history being part of the maritime industry. I must say it’s a pleasure to be part of this. Since I have lived in Shanghai for a few years, it feels like coming back home again when we talk about Marintec China.
Wang:
Okay, thank you very much. I believe you must make a great contribution to marine industry.
So this time I believe you will have a lot to share with us.
About the organization, as we know Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy market. Can you tell us more on first how does Wärtsilä envision the future?
Holm:
It comes very much from the decarbonization journey that we all have to take, enabling targeting the IMO targets for 2050, and we need to remember that all of this needs to happen during one vessel lifetime. And for us to reach that within the maritime industry, it means that we need to go for green fuels: step by step to green fuel. So we will in maritime move from in large a single fuel environment to a multi fuel environment, and this will be a big change during just one vessel lifetime. And I think the key here is how to enable the financial viability for our customers while still targeting to reduce the mission. And this will be a key that we create enough flexibility in the shipping ecosystem to make sure that this is financially viable but it’s also then meeting the IMO targets for 2050.
Because in all scenarios we know that the fuels will be more expensive in the future. The green fuels will cost more than today, and that means also that focus on efficiency will be a key about from a money perspective but then also from a mission perspective. And our target as Wärtsilä is really to be the leader in this transformation and be the leader in understanding how to utilize green fuels in shipping through our internal combustion engines and supporting efficiency equipment.
Wang:
Okay, thank you. I believe this is a very ambitious and inspiring strategy and wish all these dreams comes true in near future. Second point is so far as we know you have established on Sustainable Technology Hub, can you tell us more on this?
Holm:
Yes, absolutely, and the key target for our Sustainable Technology Hub is very much around collaboration. Because we believe that for this transition to happen both in Marine and Energy businesses, it needs a lot of collaboration between different stakeholders both in the maritime system but also with fuel providers, with universities so with all kinds of different stakeholders, and we want to enable this collaboration in our Sustainable Technology Hub.
And for us this is really a key center for research and development and innovation in general， so it’s a key target for us to through our partners be able to push as hard as we can on the decarbonization journey.
Wang:
Okay, joint effort is really very important and collaboration will speed up the process of decarbonization to make contribution to the whole industry. Okay what are the highlights of your participation at the upcoming Marintec China?
Holm:
Yes well this is an easy one because in every place where we go in almost every customer meeting we have in our days it’s to talk about the decarbonization, so our key issues will really be that how we can support our customers on this journey. We have also new products in the pipeline, we have recently announced our new large bore engines which will be even more efficient than before the 46 2-stage, but it’s also about how we can introduce the capabilities for green fuels in the future and how we can create the flexibility to do the needed upgrade during the vessel lifetime for our customers. So it will be a very much around the decarbonization message.
Wang:
We are looking forward to your new technology and products soon in the very important platform.
As Marintec China is the second largest platform for marine tech and products. How would you describe Marintec China to someone who has never visited?
Holm:
Well for me, Marintec China is really about meeting customers, meeting old friends, meeting the different stakeholders in the system. It goes back again to have the chance to talk to the different stakeholders and it’s of course being in China where you have all of these stakeholders from different parts involved. For me that’s the key for Marintec that you get this possibility in one place to meet with all different stakeholders.
Wang:
Many thanks for your attractive introduction to Marintec China, I believe from your introduction more and more visitors will come to this platform and get more chance to have more important and deeper cooperation.
Mr Roger, would you please initiate your invitation to other visitors?
Holm:
Absolutely!
December 7 to 10, 2022 at Shanghai New International Expo Center, we look forward to seeing you at Marintec China!
Wang:
Mr. Roger Holm, many thanks for kind sharing with us your future vision, innovative technologies, highlights of your participation at the coming event, together with introduction to the Marintec China. Wish you and Wartsila all the best and make more contribution to marine industry. We sincerely welcome you in Shanghai, on 7-10 December.
Holm:
Thank you, Dr. Wang, my pleasure.
Wang:
Also my great pleasure to have you with us. Thank you.
Holm:
Thank you very much.
