Ferries To Get Dual-Fuel Retrofits

MAN PrimeServ, the after-sales division of MAN Energy Solutions, has won the contract to convert two RoPax ferries from Spanish operator, Baleària Eurolineas Maritimas, S.A., to dual-fuel operation.

Sister ships, the Nápoles and Sicilia, are currently each powered by two MAN 9L48/60A main engines, which will all be converted to 9L51/60DF units that will enable running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The 51/60DF engine has a bore and stroke of 510 X 600 mm and comes in 6-,7-,8- and 9-cylinder variants. It offers 975 kW of output at 500 rpm and 1000 at 514 rpm.

“We showed – with the conversion of Wessels Reederei’s Wes Amelie containership – that operational MAN engines can successfully be converted to LNG operation with a tremendous effect on exhaust emissions and the environment,” said Dr. Thomas Spindler, head of Upgrades & Retrofits, PrimeServ Four-Stroke, MAN Energy Solutions. “We are very happy that Baleària has seen fit to bring these benefits to a new segment and application and look forward to the conversion procedure.”

The conversion of the Nápoles is scheduled for between November and January. The conversion of the Sicilia is scheduled for between October and December 2019.

The conversion to LNG operation is part of MAN’s wide-ranging engagement for the establishment of LNG as a shipping fuel. Calling for a “Maritime Energy Transition”, the company considers the use of natural gases as the fuels of choice in global shipping as the most promising way to supporting the goal of a climate-neutral shipping industry.