Dual fuel option for Greek LNG newbuilds

Each ship will be powered by a diesel electric plant using two 9L51/60DF and two 8L51/60DF engines, a total of 34 MW installed power per vessel. All of the engines are IMO Tier II-compliant in diesel mode, and in gas mode the exhaust emissions will be below IMO Tier III stipulation – the fuel-sharing mode will be applied to each unit.

The gas carriers will be built at STX Offshore & Shipping in Korea, for Athens-based Alpha Tankers and Freighters International, and are scheduled for delivery in 2014 and 2015. The engines will be built at MAN Diesel & Turbo in Augsburg, Germany and will be shipped to Korea in late 2013. The contract includes an option for further vessels and engines.

The company says that this order is the first LNG carrier application with fuel-sharing capability. This concept was originally developed for the MAN B&W ME-GI gas-injection two-stroke dual-fuel diesel engine. To optimise fuel flexibility in fuel-sharing mode, the dual-fuel engines can burn both gaseous and liquid fuels simultaneously. This, says MAN, will prove beneficial during ballast voyages where the volume of boil-off gas is significantly lower than on a laden voyage.