Vinashin completes first Mitsubishi-UE marine diesel

Production was undertaken at Bach Dang Diesel Engine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (BDDEM), a Vinashin affiliate. Plans call for BDDEM to manufacture three more UE engines this year and then progressively expand production, leveraging its annual production capacity potential up to 200,000 brake horsepower (bhp).

The first Mitsubishi-UE engine completed is the 7UEC45LA with cylinder bore of 450mm, featuring a power output of 6,230kW at 158 rpm. The unit will be installed as the main engine on a 22,500 dwt bulk carrier of Vinashin Petroleum Investment and Transport Joint Stock Company (SHINPETROL) under construction at the shipyard of Bach Dang Shipbuilding, a member of the Vinashin Group.

The UE engine unit also marks the first low-speed marine diesel engine manufactured in Vietnam. In view of the Vietnamese government’s current focus on advancement of shipbuilding and related industries, completion of the domestically made marine engine is a significant event for Vietnam to demonstrate the country’s technological advancement. Under license from MHI, Vinashin is to manufacture, sell and provide after-sale services for low-speed marine diesel engine models with a wide range of power outputs, i.e. Mitsubishi UEC-LA, LS, LSII and LSE engines with cylinder bores ranging from 330 to 850mm.

In addition to Vinashin, MHI has licensed its Mitsubishi-UE engine technology to three Chinese companies, i.e. Qingdao Qiyao Wärtsilä MHI Linshan Marine Diesel Company Ltd. (QMD); Yichang Marine Diesel Engine Plant (YMD), a group company of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC); and Zhejiang Yungpu Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. (YUNGPU) in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.