MAN Supplying Propulsion Systems For Two Containerships

MAN Energy Solutions will supply the propulsion systems for two 2525-teu containership newbuildings, which will join the fleet of Pasha Hawaii, the U.S. Jones Act carrier in the Hawaii trade lane.

Each system will include a 7S80ME-GI Mk 9.5 main engine, three MAN 6L35/44DF gen-sets and a MAN Alpha FPP propeller system. The vessels will be constructed at the Keppel AmFELS yard in Brownsville, Texas, USA to Keppel’s proprietary design.

The ME-GI engine is a gas-injection, dual-fuel, low speed diesel engine that, when acting as main propulsion in liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers or any other type of merchant marine vessel, can burn gas or fuel oil port to port, depending on the energy source available on board and dictated by relative cost and owner preference. The 80ME-GI engine offers 4510 kW per cylinder and has a bore and stroke of 800 X 3450 mm.

“With some 200 engines on order or already in service, the ME-GI’s popularity continues to grow,” said Bjarne Foldager, vice president, Sales & Promotion, Two-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions. “This is yet another order within the container segment and cements the ME-GI concept. More so, the project at hand shows how our customers pick up on offers of complete propulsion systems beyond just the main engine. This confirms our strategic path to develop into a system provider.”

Doosan Engine will build the main engines in Korea, which will meet Tier 3 emissions by use of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. Similarly, MAN Energy Solutions Augsburg works will build the auxiliary engines which will meet Tier 3 with the aid of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system.

The 35/44DF is a four-stroke dual-fuel engine that offers 530 kW per cylinder at 750 rpm and 510 kW at 720 rpm. The engine has a bore and stroke of 350 X 440 MM.

Engine delivery is scheduled for 2019 with the two vessels, respectively, due for launch in Q1 and Q3 of 2020.

Pasha Hawaii is based in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA and provides shipping services between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. The company reports that the new vessels joining its fleet will have a sailing speed of 23.0 knots and that the ships’ hulls have been fully optimized using computational fluid dynamics.

The new vessels will operate fully on LNG from day one in service, dramatically reducing environmental impact and increasing fuel efficiency, the company said. Energy savings will also be achieved with a state-of-the-art engine, an optimized hull form, and an underwater propulsion system with a high-efficiency rudder and propeller, the company said.