MAN engines to power Cadeler offshore renewables installation vessels

MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) announced it has secured an order to supply engines to COSCO Heavy Industries, a Chinese shipbuilder based in Qidong, for construction of a second F-Class installation vessel that will be used for installing offshore wind turbines and foundations. It is one of four orders for engines, with the other orders including two X-class and another F-class vessel.

All four vessels, scheduled for delivery from 2024 to 2026, are bound for Danish service provider Cadeler, a specialist in offshore wind transportation. They will be used for installation, operation and decommissioning.

The X-class vessels have a deck space of 5600 cubic meters, a payload of over 17,600 tons and a main crane capacity of over 2000 tons at 53 meters. F-class vessels have similar specifications but are designed to allow quick conversion from a foundation to a wind turbine generator installation vessel. Each vessel will feature an engine configuration based on a mixed MAN medium- and high-speed engine concept with 2 × 6L32/44CR + 2 × 9L32/44CR + 2 × 12V175D engines.

According to the company’s technical specifications, the six-cylinder 6L32/44CR is rated 3600 kW at 750 rpm while the nine-cylinder 9L32/44CR is rated 5400 kW at 750 rpm. Both four-stroke engines have bore x stroke dimensions of 320 mm x 440 mm and are equipped with advanced electronic common rail fuel injection and a high-efficiency constant pressure MAN TCR series exhaust turbocharging system. Online technical specifications for the 12V175D 12-cylinder engine show it has an output rating from 1499 to 2580 kW, depending on model, speed and load, and comes with a modular common rail fuel injection system and high-efficiency MAN turbochargers. All of the engines will include selective catalytic reduction and meet IMO Tier III emission standards.

The engine combination will reportedly provide the newbuildings with “the greatest lifting capacity of any vessel ever seen in the field in line with the growing size of modern wind turbines,” MAN ES said. With the 2 × MAN 6L32/44CR + 2 × MAN 9L32/44CR + 2 × MAN 12V175D concept, the F-class jack-ups will be able to transport and install seven complete 15 MW turbine sets per load or six sets of 2XL monopile foundations per round-trip, MAN ES noted.

“We are currently building four unique, pure-play, offshore vessels that aim at installing the foundations and wind turbines of the future. In order for our vessels to optimally operate, we need engines that meet our requirements by delivering the needed lifting capacity,” said Cadeler’s CEO, Mikkel Gleerup. “Our cooperation with MAN has been a good and steady one throughout the years. We chose them as supplier as they have demonstrated the ability to deliver a product that is innovative and of high standard, which will be a good fit with the rest of the vessels’ capabilities.”

The medium- and high-speed engine concept will offer a number of other advantages, as well, MAN ES said, including:

• A small total gen-set footprint and compact SCR sizes minimize engine room and funnel space, leading to a larger deck area.
• Optimized power/weight ratio with the mixed engine concept including the frameless design for the medium-speed 32/44CR engines. In this instance, the total engine weight of the Cadeler project is around 200 tonnes, which MAN ES said is a new benchmark that saves fuel and CO2 emissions and increases payload.
• Optimized OPEX through low SFOC during low-load operation and off-engine when not required for efficient fuel consumption and reduced engine operating hours.
• The 32/44CR and 175D offer leading engine dynamics and load ramp-up, MAN ES said, making it possible to have a minimum number of gen-sets online.
• By incorporating the latest generation of common rail systems, the engines can be adapted to operate on low or neutral CO2 fuels.

“This is a unique application that will set a new standard for offshore turbine installation and sustainable marine operations, as well as being a great showcase for our mixed-engine concept,” Elvis Ettenhofer, Head of Marine Four-Stroke APAC, MAN Energy Solutions, commented. “With its reliability and long times between overhauls, the 175D has the DNA of a medium-speed engine, which is why it matches so well with our 32/44 units.”

The unique engine configuration delivers high efficiency, lower weight and a greater payload, he added, and “ represents real value for our customer, Cadeler.”