MAN Energy Solutions has won a contract to supply liquid gas injection propane (LGIP) dual-fuel engines to three 5,000-m3 LPG tankers currently under construction by CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering in Shanghai for Hartmann Gas Carriers
Each newbuilding will receive a propulsion package with one 5S35ME-LGIP engine, an alpha controllable pitch propeller, power take-off and propulsion control system. MAN said it plans to introduce its new Triton control platform with the engines.
MAN senior vice president and head of two-stroke business Bjarne Foldager said “After the success of our dual-fuel ME-GI engine running on ethane, orders for our ME-LGIP variant capable of running on LPG are now taking off – a situation we are very pleased with. That the engines in this order form part of an MAN Energy Solutions’ package fits perfectly with our desire to increasingly supply complete propulsion solutions.”
In gas mode, the ME-LGIP engine operates on 3% pilot oil and down to 10% load. MAN expects the engine to ultimately operate without pilot oil. The engine can also burn liquid volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a move the company said is designed to anticipate potential IMO regulation on reducing VOCs.
Interest in using LPG as a fuel, within and outside the LPG carrier segment, is growing due to the fuel’s sulphur-free composition, widespread availability and ease of bunkering. MAN reported that the ME-LGIP engine has experienced an up to 18% reduction in CO2 and circa 90% reduction in particulate matter when running on LPG, compared with HFO.
MAN is the market leader in the dual-fuel segment and its dual-fuel portfolio recently crossed the 1M operating hour mark. The milestone comes on the back of the 300 engine sales the company recently announced for the segment.
The company’s new Triton controller platform is meant for MAN’s entire, two-stroke engine portfolio and is future-proofed. MAN said Triton will deliver extra computing power, a faster network and I/O flexibility to face future demands and incorporates cyber security by design.
MAN’s two-stroke licensee, CMD, will construct the engines in Lingang, China, with delivery scheduled during the latter half of 2021. The contract contains an option for two further vessels.
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