ME-GI engines for EPS Newcastlemaxes
The five 209,000 dwt vessels will be equipped with MAN B&W 6G70ME-GI Mk 10.5 main engines.
The vessels are scheduled for delivery during 2022 and will carry iron ore between Western Australia and China. EPS signed a five-year time charter for the LNG-fuelled Newcastlemaxes with BHP in September.
Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN ES, said: “This order is notable in that these Newcastlemax bulkers are the first dual-fuel vessels of their size and show the capability of our engine technology.”
Hansen also noted that the order reflected increasing interest in LNG-fuelled solutions in both the bulk segment as well as the tramp market.
MAN ES states that its low-speed, dual-fuel references now exceed 333 units, with the ME-GI recording over 1.5 million operating hours on LNG alone.
Hansen added that MAN ES had received an order from Guangzhou Shipyard International Co., Ltd. (GSI) in September 2020 for two 6G60ME-GI Mk 10.5 dual-fuel engines to power two LR2 tankers for tanker owner and operator Hafnia. The order included an option for two further vessels.
The order was noteworthy as the French hydrocarbon major, Total, has agreed to charter the vessels. This will represent its first encounter with ME-GI engines, Hansen noted.
