First reference for MAN MeOH-fuelled gensets on PCTC series

The order for six small-bore, seven-cylinder 21/31DF-M gensets has been awarded by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) in connection with an order for two 9,300 car equivalent units (CEU) pure car and truck carriers. The 3 × 7L21/31DF-M gensets aboard the vessels will accompany an MAN B&W 7S60ME-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) main engine previously ordered by CMHI in May 2023.

The order represents the very first reference for the gensets. MAN ES licensee, CMP, will build the engines in China with first delivery due in Q1 2025. Vessel delivery is set respectively for 2025 and 2026.

The order includes options for a further four vessels using the same combination of MAN ES’ main movers and gensets.

The first orders for MAN’s methanol gensets have been received from a shipyard in China, where the engines will be installed in a series of car carriers that are under construction. “The series will feature our [ME-LGIM] main engine as well as the methanol-fuelled gensets.”

Bjarne Foldager, Head of Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “The vehicle-transport sector’s interest in using methanol is at an all-time high driven by the need for expanded capacity – due to robust Chinese car-sales – and emission regulations. Within the PCTC segment, CMES is the first mover to methanol, which we expect will figure prominently as a future fuel across all vessel segments.”

Foldager added: “As happy as we were to initially win the main engines for this exciting project, we are even more satisfied to add these methanol-driven GenSets – their first such sale and one which fits with our aim to increasingly become a supplier of complete decarbonisation solutions.”

Foldager also told The Motorship that while MAN expected to receive further orders for the MAN 21/31 engine, it was also expanding the programme and was seeking to develop larger-bore methanol-fuelled gensets suitable for installation on larger containerships.

The 21/31DF-M is based on a simple port fuel-injection concept that optimises reliability, while simultaneously minimising capital-outlay time. The foundation for the new L21/31DF-M GenSet is the existing L21/31 GenSet, which has accumulated more than 55 million operating hours with thousands of engines in service. Furthermore, the L21/31DF-M power range spans 1,000–1,980 kW, which makes it suitable for most merchant vessels.