Wärtsilä to supply first Sulzer RT-fle

Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to supply the first Sulzer RT-flex50 low-speed marine diesel engines. These engines are the latest in the Sulzer RT-flex engine series which, with their electronically-controlled common-rail systems, are claimed to be the most advanced low-speed engines for ship propulsion today.

Four six-cylinder Sulzer RT-flex50 engines have been ordered from by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding in China and will be installed in four 53,800 DWT Handymax bulk carriers contracted by the Greek ship owner Enterprises Shipping & Trading.

Diesel United in Japan will build these Sulzer 6RT-flex50 engines under license from Wärtsilä and will each develop 9720 kW at 124 rpm. The new buildings are expected to be delivered in 2006 and early 2007 and are of an updated design with full double hulls. The vessels are designed for general worldwide service but are destined for charter to South African operators.

The Greek ship owner regards the Sulzer RT-flex engines as very appropriate as the ships are seen as long-term investments. In this respect, the ability of the electronically controlled common-rail system to keep up the engine’s performance and thus operational savings throughout the engine’s operating life is recognised to be of paramount importance.

Wärtsilä is developing the Sulzer RT-flex50 on the basis of the Sulzer RTA50 engine jointly designed by Wärtsilä and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. Both engine types are of 500 mm cylinder bore by 2050 mm piston stroke and have a maximum continuous power of 1620 kW/cylinder at 124 rpm. They are built with five to eight cylinders in-line, covering a power range of 5650 kW to 12,960 kW. They thus offer the right powers and speeds for a wide variety of ship types including the new generation of Handymax and Panamax bulk carriers, large product tankers, container feeder vessels and medium-sized reefer ships.