Another Matson box ship set for LNG dual-fuel retrofit
Written by Nick Blenkey
Kaimana Hila dual-fuel retrofit follows that of sister ship Daniel K. Inouye.
Matson Navigation Company (NYSE: MATX) is to convert the main engine of its containership Kaimana Hila from an MAN B&W S90ME-C10.5 unit to a dual-fuel ME-GI unit capable of running on LNG.
Honolulu-headquartered Matson is exercising an option contained in a contract it signed with MAN Energy Solutions in June 2022 to perform an identical dual-fuel retrofit conversion on sister ship Daniel K. Inouye.
Both ships were built by Philly Shipyard.
The Kaimana Hila was delivered in 2019 and MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, will perform the 3,600 TEU vessel’s retrofit.
“This order is the latest example in an increasing trend of owners choosing dual-fuel retrofits for their existing vessels in service to achieve fleet-transformation goals while simultaneously gaining benefits in terms of upcoming regulations such as CII and EEXI,” said Klaus Rasmussen, head of projects and PVU sales at MAN PrimeServ. “Retrofitting an MAN B&W engine to dual-fuel running is straightforward as our standard, electronically-controlled diesel engines are constructed as ‘dual-fuel ready’ and therefore readily retrofittable. Such retrofits offer a viable pathway to shipowners that wish to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050.”
“This will be the third vessel Matson is retrofitting with dual-fuel LNG capability. Each retrofit is a meaningful step toward achieving our corporate sustainability goals to achieve a 40% reduction in Scope 1 greenhouse gas fleet emissions by 2030 and net-zero Scope 1 GHG emissions by 2050,” said Capt. Jack Sullivan, Matson’s senior vice president, vessel operations & engineering.
The take-up of the dual-fuel retrofit option comes on the heels of Matson’s announcement last November that it had placed a $1 billion order with Philly Shipyard for the construction of three 3,600 TEU Aloha class LNG-powered newbuilds that will also be powered by ME-GI engines.
DUAL-FUEL RETROFITS: DECARBONIZATION PATHWAY
Since its first two-stroke ME-GI (LNG) retrofit in 2015, MAN Energy Solutions has built an impressive list of references and expanded its portfolio of dual-fuel retrofits to also include fuels such as LPG and methanol.
Retrofitting a dual-fuel engine is one of the most effective ways to derive greater efficiency and profitability from a shipping fleet, says MAN ES. Delivering the fuel flexibility to take advantage of optimal fuel prices, the conversion can also help vessels comply with IMO emission targets and extend their operational lifetimes to bring a greater return on investments.
