Milestone order for Wärtsilä RT-flex engine

NOVEMBER 1, 2012—This past August, Wärtsilä achieved a milestone with its 1000th order for its two-stroke, low-speed diesel, electronically controlled, common-rail RT-flex engines.

The milestone order was for a seven-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex82T version B main engine for Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tanker being built for JX Tanker Company Limited, the Yokohama. The 310,000 dwt vessel is being built at the IHI Marine United Inc., Kure shipyard, and is scheduled for delivery in 2014. The engine will be manufactured by Diesel United, Ltd. (DU), a Wärtsilä licensee in Japan.

The newly upgraded Wärtsilä RT-flex82T version B engine is based on the very popular RT-flex82T, which has accumulated more than 100 reference installations, and is the perfect choice for VLCC vessels that need an efficient, simple, reliable and safe machinery solution. The high stroke-to-bore ratio along with the RT-flex common-rail system in Wärtsilä two-stroke engines, provide superior performance. The highest flexibility of engine tuning possibilities makes it possible to achieve the lowest fuel oil consumption in all operational conditions for VLCCs. 

The first Wärtsilä RT-flex common-rail two-stroke engine entered into service in 2001.

“This latest order is significant for Wärtsilä for two reasons; it takes us past the 1000th order milestone for electronically controlled engines with good environmental performance, and is also the first order for the upgraded RT-flex82T version B engine for a next generation eco type of VLCC. For both reasons, we are extremely proud and happy,” says Martin Wernli, President, Wärtsilä Switzerland and Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Power, two-stroke. “The huge success of the Wärtsilä two-stroke, low-speed diesel engines is very much due to the fact that they are the only common rail engines on the market that can offer exceptional fuel savings across the entire load range. This is especially the case for eco type new vessel designs, such as the IHI Marine United developed next generation VLCC as ordered for the JX Tanker Company. The RT-flex82T version B engine is the best choice in the market for optimizing fuel efficiency.”