Wallenius Wilhelmsen retrofits vehicle carriers with new PLC electronics

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has started an investment campaign for its vehicle carriers to reduce the risk of operational disruptions as clients demand higher reliability and fewer failures.

The global shipping and logistics group will work with a ship-retrofitting specialist on this long-term programme, which will involve 35 car and lorry carriers, with upgrades to take place based on the vessels’ sailing schedules and availability.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has ordered new programmable logic controllers (PLCs), electronics that support machinery operations, for these vessels and plans to keep several as spares.

MacGregor received a contract for PLC retrofit projects for 35 vessels from Wallenius Wilhelmsen in Q3 2026.

It originally supplied equipment during the vessels’ initial design and newbuilding phases, so it has technical knowledge of the electronics and IT systems on board.

After retrofitting the PLCs on the car carriers, the replaced PLCs will be stored on board as spare parts for remaining roro equipment on these vehicle-transporting ships or other vessels with the same equipment.  

“Facing a tight market and high customer expectations, Wallenius Wilhelmsen is focused on reducing operational disruptions while delivering high-end service and uncompromised reliability to our customers,” said Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet manager for technical marine operations, Tom Forrester-Coles.

“By keeping our systems up to date and taking a standardised approach to obsolescence management across the fleet, we ensure our seafarers are equipped with dependable operational tools,” he said.

MacGregor executive vice president for global services, Tomas Hakala, said MacGregor would support Wallenius Wilhelmsen across the entire lifecycle of its fleet to “ensure equipment reliability, operational consistency and minimised downtime.”