MAN Supplying Engines For Hybrid RoRo

MAN Energy Solutions will supply 18 MAN B&W 9S50ME-C9.6 main engines for nine hybrid RoRo vessels intended for operation in the Mediterranean Sea.

The customer is the Grimaldi Group, the Naples, Italy-based shipping company. MAN Energy Solutions’ two-stroke licensee – Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Engine & Machinery Business Unit) – will build the engines in Korea, while Jiangsu Jinling Shipyard Co. Ltd. will construct the vessels in Nanjing, China. Delivery of the first vessels is expected from 2020. MAN will also supply one MAN TCA66 turbocharger for each engine.

MAN Energy Solutions said the new RoRos are the first examples of a new series of hybrid vessels, which will use fuel oil during navigation and lithium mega-batteries in harbor to help insure zero emissions in port while still satisfying energy requirements at berth. The batteries will be recharged during navigation through shaft generators adding the so-called peak shaving system.

“The bidding process was very competitive but, happily, a clear preference was expressed for our engines,” said Bjarne Foldager, senior vice president, Head of Two-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions. “Our technology will play a crucial role in this innovative hybrid propulsion system that really points the way for shipping in the future. Along with MAN PrimeServ, our after-sales business, we thank the Grimaldi Group for its custom and look forward to powering these unique vessels.”

The Tier 2 9S50ME-C9.6 engine offers 16 020 kW. It has a bore and stroke of 500 X 2214 mm.

The new RoRos are part of what Grimaldi calls its “Green 5th Generation” that represents a significant expansion and modernization of the company’s fleet. They will have a length of 238 m, a beam of 34 m and a gross tonnage of 64 000 tonnes with a loading capacity double that of the Neapolitan group’s current, largest such vessel and triple that of its previous generation of RoRo ships. The MAN B&W ME-C engines – as part of the hybrid propulsion set-up – will enable a 100% increase in efficiency when measured in terms of consumption/ton of freight transported, compared to Grimaldi’s existing vessels.