Two days in Kewatec shipyard

We would like to express our special thanks to Kewatec Aluboat shipyard for organizing such a wonderful event, Kovatech hard-core technology seminar. Also, it wouldn’t be possible without the contribution of partners and valuable participants. We had two amazing days in Kokkala enhanced our relationships with vessel owners. Moreover, we found the chance observe Kewatec’s expertise in aluminium vessels on site and got information on the latest marine technologies at first hand from sector leaders.

Kewatec CEO Jens Ahlskog commenced the event with his warm welcome. His opening speech was followed by the presentations of partner organizations. They are the heavyweights of the industry that are changing the course of marine technologies. Experts from Volvo Penta, Scania, Mercury and Kongsberg addressed the meeting and shared their latest developments in marine propulsion systems. Presenters from Furuno and Navico also made very good points. It is fascinating to see that how committed these companies are for establishing a more sustainable marine industry.

In the light of new regulations, Volvo Penta’s hybrid propulsion systems and Scania’s IMO tier III diesel engines are big steps in the industry. Considering the amount of savings in fuel consumptions, these systems pay themselves in short notice and reduce emissions substantially. These developments require paying big attention to engine data analyses and these majors devote big resources in this field. In this regard, we are happy to see that Mafle’s work in fleet analytics becomes more important day by day and our mission to increase the efficiencies by data analyses align with strategies of engine manufacturers.

We were one of the partners in the event. Joose Viljanen, Marfle CEO, made a presentation about the importance of data analyses in fleet management. He brought up that how it can optimise fuel economy, minimise engine wearing and improve efficiencies in different operations. He exemplified the topic with Finnpilot and Finnish Lifeboat Institution case studies and their findings. Lastly, Joose introduced the Marfle simulation that was utilized for solving the conflicts and near miss situations between tugboats, pilot boats and big ships. These examples clearly demonstrate Marfle’s capabilities with data-centric technologies in different marine operations.


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Joose’s presentation started with a clear message: “If there is no data, you have to rely on skipper’s gut feeling.”


Jens Ahlskog led a panel discussion about safety in maritime after the partner organizations’ presentations. He encouraged participants to share their experiences, raise their concerns, and brainstorm with others for possible solutions in increasing safety in maritime. Different operations like pilotage, rescue operations and patrolling were discussed during the panel. This topic requires more attention due to the recent unfortunate incidents. Marfle can help organizations in shedding light on accidents and preventing them from happening. Joose explained our contribution in a recent investigation.

We found the chance to observe all the processes from design to manufacturing on site during shipyard tour. A strong know-how in aluminium structures is the foundation of Kewatec’s expertise. Aluminium’s light and carefree structure holds myriad opportunities especially when it is compared to steel structures. So far, the shipyard produced hundreds of aluminium vessels including families of pilot boats, passenger boats, pleasure crafts and oil recovery vessels. This experience sets the shipyard apart from its competitors. One of the big German customers was inspecting their new build vessel on the production site.

Kewatec facilities provide design and manufacturing units under one roof and the company plans to increase its capacity with a new facility. Its link with the industry is multi-sided and have close collaboration with its partners. The company is a strong player in Ostrobothnian maritime network which houses many companies from ship design to part manufacturers. They join hands and created an export driven economy in the region. Today, 75% of boats made in the region are exported.


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Jens is at the wheel of the shipyard and manage all company operations.


Shipyard tour was followed by partner workshops. We found the chance to meet important prospects and introduce our solutions in smaller groups. These meetings went well, and we planted the seeds of new deals. These prospects were from different walks of marine sector including border guards, rescue operations, pilotage, fairway maintenance, and ferries. Some of our customers also joined the meetings and we discussed the ways to improve our services. We are glad to see that companies from different services give more importance to fleet analytics day by day and we can meet their different priorities.


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Finnish Border Guard is one of our customers.


One of the best parts of two days event was the trip onboard Lux. The ferry was built by Kewatech for a Swedish customer, Blidösundsbolaget, outfit with Scania engines and launched recently. Thanks to the perfect weather, we enjoyed the view of Kokkola Archipelago from its terrace. We were accompanied by another new build, a high-performance leisure boat with Mercury outboard engines. Its performance was, so to speak, breath taking, and it made circles around us.


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It was time to enjoy sunshine after a busy schedule.


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High performance runs deep in Kewatec’s DNA.


The event concluded with a visit to Kongsberg’s waterjet propulsion factory. The facility is stone’s throw away from shipyard and has roots in Kewatec. It continued its operations under Rolls Royce brand for a long time. After the acquisition of Rolls Royce marine division by Kongsberg, it became a subsidiary of the Norwegian group in Finland. Kamewa brand water jets are produced in the facility. We observedd high manufacturing standards of the factory. A broad range of applications from small vessels to big navy ships was very impressive.

Thanks again to Kewatec and all participants. We hope that Kewatec shipyard will open its doors again and this event will be held every year.