MHI develops new low-speed engine

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has developed a new low-speed marine diesel engine, the UEC50LSE, in cooperation with Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd. MHI initially reached an agreement with Wärtsilä in November 2002 toward joint development of marine diesel engines and the 6-cylinder UEC50LSE is the first fruit of their collaborative effort. After verification testing of performance and reliability, MHI will start marketing the new engine which is aimed at the Panamax and Handymax class bulk carriers as well as feeder container ships which are becoming increasingly faster and larger.

With a maximum power output of 1,660 kW per cylinder, the new engine achieves up to 15% higher output compared to conventional engines of similar size. The engine is also designed to accommodate SIP (Swirl Injection Principle) cylinder oil injection systems for enhanced operating efficiency.