Diesel for another 100 years, says Lausch

That is the verdict of MAN B&W senior vice president Dr Wolfram Lausch, who bases this conclusion on simple fuel efficiency: “A ship is meant to carry cargo, not fuel. So it is my absolutely strong belief that big diesel engines for ship propulsion will last for the next 50 or 100 years.” But where volume of fuel is not an issue, diesel will face more competition: “I would not make that same strong statement for [land-based] power generation.” Dr Lausch expects the competitive situation in the two-stroke market to remain stable, with domination by MAN B&W and Wärtsilä. The four-stroke market could be more volatile, with Caterpillar showing potential to make up some ground on MAN B&W and Wärtsilä, he says. Generally, MAN B&W?s goal is to establish a common diesel engine programme for both two- and four-stroke models across its MAN B&W, Ruston, Pielstick, Mirrlees Blackstone and Paxman brands. Where two or more brands offer models with comparable outputs, group development efforts will focus on common designs as models are replaced.