MacGregor secures Ro-Ro equipment retrofit contract with Wallenius Wilhelmsen

MacGregor has secured an order from Wallenius Wilhelmsen to upgrade programmable logic controllers (PLCs) aboard 35 Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels, as part of a fleet-wide modernisation programme covering Ro-Ro cargo-handling equipment.

The contract, booked in MacGregor’s third-quarter 2026 order intake, involves upgrading the control systems of the vessels’ quarter ramps. The retrofit work will be carried out according to individual vessel schedules and availability, allowing the programme to be coordinated with the fleet’s operating requirements.

MacGregor originally supplied equipment for the vessels during their design and newbuilding phases. The latest agreement extends its involvement in maintaining and modernising the ships’ cargo-handling systems during their operational lives.

The PLC upgrades will address control-system obsolescence and support the continued reliability of the quarter ramps, which form part of the equipment used for loading and unloading rolling cargo.

Under the programme, the replaced controllers will be retained aboard the vessels as spare parts for other Ro-Ro equipment. They may also be used on other ships fitted with compatible systems, rather than being immediately discarded.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen focuses on fleet equipment reliability

Wallenius Wilhelmsen said the standardised retrofit approach is intended to reduce operational interruptions and maintain consistency in the management of ageing equipment across its fleet.

Tom Forrester-Coles, Fleet Manager, Technical Marine Operations Management at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, said the company was focusing on keeping onboard systems up to date while reducing potential disruptions to its services.

Tomas Hakala, Executive Vice President, Global Services at MacGregor, said the project continued the companies’ relationship established during the vessels’ original construction, with MacGregor providing technical support throughout their operational lifecycles.

The agreement covers control-system modernisation rather than the replacement of complete quarter-ramp structures, with the upgrades scheduled around the ships’ availability.

Neither company disclosed the financial value of the order or a specific completion date for the retrofit programme.