Wärtsilä X92 to power 20,600 CMA CGM mega box ship

The W-X92 engine passed its Factory Acceptance Test earlier this year

JULY 15, 2015 — The first in a series of 20,600 TEU “mega-class” containerships being built for French shipowner CMA CGM will be powered by the Wärtsilä X92, low-speed, two-stroke engine. The vessel is to be built by the Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC) shipyard in Subic Bay, Philippines.

The engine will be supplied by Winterthur Gas & Diesel Ltd (WinGD), the joint venture company that took over Wärtsilä’s two-stroke engine business in January 2015. The company is owned 70 percent byChina State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and 30 percent by Wärtsilä.

The new vessel will have a cargo capacity of more than 20,000 TEU and will be the largest containership in the CMA CGM fleet.

The 11-cylinder Wärtsilä X92 engine chosen to power this huge vessel is the largest of Wärtsilä’s Generation X series of engines. It has a power range from 24,420 to 73,560 kW at 70 to 80 rpm.

The low revolutions enable higher ship propulsion efficiency for the large and ultra large vessels the engine is designed for. The engine features low fuel consumption across the entire operating range, thanks to the application of common rail technology.

“The Wärtsilä X92 engine has been designed to provide exceptional reliability, the lowest operating costs and minimal exhaust emissions, all of which are essential in today’s operating environment. As container vessels are getting ever bigger in order to achieve economies of scale, it is essential that the engines and propulsion equipment are developed accordingly so as to achieve the efficiencies needed. Our successful two-stroke Generation X engines are evidence of our proven competence and technological leadership and, as a result, we are playing an important role in the large and ultra large container vessel segment,” says Martin Wernli, CEO of WinGD.

The W-X92 is the most recently launched of the Generation X engines and with its height of 16 m, width of 5.5 m and bore and stroke dimensions of 920 mm x 3468 mm, it is also the largest engine in the Generation X series ever built.

The first W-X92 to be built passed its design validation and Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) in February 2015. The FAT took place at the Ulsan engine works of Korean licensee Hyundai Heavy Industries and WinGD reports that the W-X92 performed exceptionally well, meeting all its design targets.