US order for ME-C engines

US shipowner Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) has ordered eight MAN B&W ME engines as the main propulsion plant for four 216,000 cubic metre LNG carriers recently ordered from Korean yards Hyundai and Samsung. Each yard will deliver two vessels for the Rasgas II project for shipping Qatari gas to the UK.

Each vessel will be fitted with two 6S70ME-C engines which will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Hyundai vessels and HSD for the Samsung pair. The engines will be heavy fuel burning, and the boil off gas will be returned to the tanks via onboard reliquefaction plants.

The ME engine is MAN B&W?s latest electronically controlled engine, the most advanced low speed diesel engine available. With this confirmation, the total of ME

engines for LNG carriers is 16 units and the ME engine total is above 130 units, with the number rising daily.

Interest in using the ME-GI engine as an alternative in LNG carriers is also rising. The ME-GI engine is a gas injection, dual fuel low speed diesel engine, which can burn

any ratio of diesel and gas as required, depending on the boil off gas available, the choice of energy source being dictated by the relative pricing and the owner?s preference.