SK Shipping orders more WinGD dual-fuel engines

The two twin-skeg vessels, which will each house two five-cylinder main engines, will be delivered in 2019. They will be fitted with GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane cargo containment systems and HHI’s Hi-SGAS reliquefaction plant for handling LNG boil-off gas.

Harry Cho, vice president, SK Shipping, said: “These new LNG carriers will be the second series employing WinGD’s X-DF technology in our fleet. We find that the competitive capital cost, excellent performance, low maintenance and increased safety as well as highest environmental standards is a very attractive combination and essential for commercial success in the highly demanding sector in which we operate.”

In 2014 SK became the first shipowner to order the X-DF engines for LNG carriers. Those vessels are being built by Samsung Heavy Industries and will be fitted with two six‑cylinder X62DF engines each.

The X-DF engines employ the Otto (lean burn) combustion cycle, which means that only low-pressure gas admission is needed, at around 16 bar, meaning that high-cost high pressure systems are not needed. Unlike Diesel cycle engines, the Otto cycle engines also meet Tier III NOx emission limits in gas mode.

WinGD’s technology also permits stable operation on gas across the entire load range from 5-100 %, with a low pilot fuel consumption – below 1% of total heat released during combustion.

As reported, the first WinGD X-DF engine recently entered service on the Terntank chemical tanker Ternsund.