LNG newbuilds to use fuel-sharing dual-fuel MAN engines

NOVEMBER 5, 2012 —Two 160,000 cu.m LNG tankers ordered by Athens-headquartered Alpha Tankers and Freighters International Ltd. will have MAN 51/60DF dual-fuel engines. They will be MAN Diesel & Turbo’s first such installations in the LNG carrier  sector.

Both ships will be dual-fuel diesel electrical-driven.Each will have two 9L51/60DF and two 8L51/60DF engines, a total of 34 MW installed power per vessel. All of the engines are IMO Tier II-compliant in diesel mode and will have lower exhaust-gas emissions in gas mode than IMO Tier III stipulates.

Both ships will be able to operate in fuel sharing mode, a successful concept that was originally developed for MAN Diesel & Turbo’s MAN B&W ME-GI type, a gas-injection two-stroke dual-fuel diesel engine.

In fuel-sharing mode, the dual-fuel engines can burn both gaseous and liquid fuels simultaneously. This will prove especially beneficial during ballast voyages where the volume of generated, natural boil-off gas is significantly lower than on a laden voyage.

MAN Diesel & Turbo says that the ships will be the world’s first LNG carrier newbuilds to have fuel-sharing capability.

Due for construction at STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in South Korea, MAN Diesel & Turbo reports that engine delivery for both vessels is due in the fourth quarter of 2013 with vessel delivery to follow in 2014 and 2015. The engines will be built at MAN Diesel & Turbo\’92s Augsburg plant in Germany