Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery April 2014
description
Transcript of Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery April 2014
ZF Marine Propulsion Systems supplies a complete line of commercial transmissions, thrusters, propellers and control systems. www.zf.com/marine
ZF IS PROPULSION.
See our latest innovations at SMM Hamburg, Hall A3, booth A3.2159 – 12 Sept. 2014
238 047 rzMP_AM_210x214_V2.indd 1 17.04.14 15:52
April/May 2014 • The journal of ships’ engineering systems
“There is a lot of talk about shippers demanding ‘green’ transport, but are they also willing to pay for it?”Patrick Verhoeven, secretary general, of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations
CLIENT: ExxonMobil LubricantsPRODUCT: MobilGard 5100 Full PageJOB#: P36330SPACE: FullPage: 4/CBLEED: 221 mm x 307 mmTRIM: 210 mm x 297 mmSAFETY: 180 mm x 260 mmGUTTER: NonePUBS: CompositeISSUE: NoneTRAFFIC: Darcey LundART BUYER: NoneACCOUNT: NoneRETOUCH: NonePRODUCTION: NoneART DIRECTOR: NoneCOPYWRITER: None
This advertisement was prepared by BBDO New York
FontsHelvetica (Light, Bold)Graphic Name Color Space Eff. Res.IG_1132_08_011-3.psd (CMYK; 762 ppi), Mobil_Gard_Tagline_4C-TM.tif (CMYK; 1501 ppi)
Filename: P36330_EML_G01_V4.inddProof #: 4 Path: Studio:Volumes:Studio:MECHANIC...Mechanicals:P36330_EML_G01_V4.indd Operators: Bright, Jordan / Brand, Adrienne
Ink Names Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Created: 2-11-2014 3:55 PM Saved: 2-11-2014 3:59 PMPrinted: 2-11-2014 3:59 PMPrint Scale: None
© 2013 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
Mobilgard™ 5100. The next generation of cylinder oil.
In response to new regulations, engine designs have changed. And with new engines come new challenges—none more signifi cant than cold corrosion. Introducing Mobilgard™ 5100, a new marine cylinder oil specifi cally formulated to mitigate the effects of cold corrosion.
Drawing on decades of marine lubricant experience, Mobilgard 5100 helps engines run at optimal feed rates, protects them from the corrosive effects of sulphuric acid, and helps extend cylinder-liner life. Because next-generation engines need next-generation lubrication solutions.
Learn more at exxonmobil.com/marine.
S:180 mm
S:260 mm
T:210 mm
T:297 mm
B:221 mm
B:307 mm
contentsApril/May 2014volume 36 issue 2
regulars 5 COMMENT 7 DIGEST 11 ON THE AGENDA 15 BRIEFING 99 FUELS & LUBES103 BUNKER BULLETIN104 POWERTALK
enginebuilder profile 17 LNGCs support Wärtsilä’s dual fuel engine orders
two-stroke engines 20 EcoCam cuts consumption on MAN B&W MC engines 21 Car carriers join the LNG-fuelled fleet
four-stroke engines 23 Bergen package powers offshore vessel; DF engines for German ferry 24 Quadruple Cummins outfits drive large FSVs
gas carriers 27 Trips and slips in the dash for gas 30 Gas turbines renew challenge for power
yard profile 33 HHI builds its LNG reputation
repair & maintenance 35 First gas-fuelled retrofit to go ahead 36 Oman to boost LNG repair skills; Damen’s Brest yard extends LNGC bookings
environment 39 MHI hails its LNGC’s environmental merits; LNG project awaits environmental report
steam turbines 41 Steam turbines retain niche LNGC market 42 Kawasaki offers steam turbine and diesel options
gas turbines 45 Compact power for warships 46 GE’s LM500 for Korean patrol boats 48 Vericor targets fast naval and passenger craft
cryogenic engineering 50 Finalising the LNG bunkering rulebook 51 US fast-tracks LNG-powered ships
Gas-fuelling extends to PCTCs (credit: UECC)
21
www.mpropulsion.com Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 1
45 Gas turbines hold their place in naval programmes (credit: Rolls-Royce)
41 Steam turbines have a niche in LNG carriers (credit: MHI)
80 Patrick Verhoeven (ECSA): will shippers pay for green shipping? (credit: ECSA)
subscriptionsA subscription costs £299 and comprises six printed issues per year, published bi-monthly, plus complimentary bonus material:• three supplements: Worldwide Turbocharger Guide,Ballast Water Treatment Technology and Future Marine Fuels & Lubes • digital editions of Marine Propulsion& Auxiliary Machinery • industry yearplanner including key industry dates• access to www.mpropulsion.com and itssearchable online archiveSubscribe online: www.rivieramm.com/subscribe
contents
Total average net circulation: 13,000Period: January-December 2013
A member of:
Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the Author and Publisher accept no liability to any party for any inaccuracies that may occur. Any third party material included with the publication is supplied in good faith and the Publisher accepts no liability in respect of content. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted or stored in any electronic medium or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Join over 9,200 members in our LinkedIn® Marine Propulsion Networking GroupFor all those working with propulsive technology and other below-deck engineering plant on all types of vessels, including commercial tonnage, yachts and naval ships.www.rivieramm.com/groups
history 57 Victaulic traces its roots back to World War I
CIMAC at Marintec 59 Driving system integration is key to efficiency
generators & switchgear 62 Drive towards better shaft generators 63 Lloyd’s approves medium voltage switchgear 64 Loop system beats short circuits; Shore power connects in minutes 66 Aggreko gains RINA certification; First marine contract for PM specialist
thrusters 68 Azimuth thrusters approach half century; Schottel’s hybrid debut 69 Special service speeds up repairs 70 Wärtsilä overhauls thrusters ranges; pushing through the ice 72 Sensing problems saves cash
waterjets 72 Jets tailor thrust for niche markets 73 Rolls-Royce’s Kamewa serves a broad market 76 Crewboats extend waterjet references
marine propulsion awards 78 Marine Propulsion's readers and staff vote for the publication's first annual awards
NOx & SOx control 80 NOx and SOx control are high in the emissions-control agenda 81 Repeat orders roll in for scrubbers 82 Meeting Tier III; Japan joins the scrubber club 84 IMO compromises on NOx
heat exchangers 87 GEA backs German green initiative; Icebreaker gets new heat exchangers 88 Corrosion forces heat exchanger exchange; Heat exchanger vital for scrubber 90 Understanding cargo heating is urgent; Wärtsilä develops evaporator for LNG fuel
condition & performance monitoring 92 Sensor networks enhance ship performance 93 Data can improve key indicators 94 Vibration monitoring via satellite; infrared sensor checks fuel quality 95 Co-operation will enhance performance monitoring; SDARI updates ‘Dolphin’ concept
Helios conference 96 EU project supports two-stroke LNG programme
next issueShip type: OSVsFeatures: marine engineering in Japan; compressors; automation & control systems; dynamic positioning; steering gear & rudders; oil water separators; ballast water treatment; deck machinery
Front cover: ZF Marine is a worldwide leader for marine propulsion system technology. The product portfolio includes a comprehensive range of transmissions (reversing, non-reversing and hybrid), propellers, steering systems and CANbus-compatible, electronic control systems, azimuth/tunnel thrusters, Pod and sail drives.
ZF Marine Propulsion Systems supplies a complete line of commercial transmissions, thrusters, propellers and control systems. www.zf.com/marine
ZF IS PROPULSION.
See our latest innovations at SMM Hamburg, Hall A3, booth A3.2159 – 12 Sept. 2014
238 047 rzMP_AM_210x214_V2.indd 1 17.04.14 15:52
April/May 2014 • The journal of ships’ engineering systems
“There is a lot of talk about shippers demanding ‘green’ transport, but are they also willing to pay for it?”Patrick Verhoeven, secretary general, of the European Community Shipowners Association
April/May 2014volume 36 issue 2
Executive Editor: Paul Guntont: +44 20 8370 7003e: [email protected]
Contributing Editor: Doug Woodyardt: +44 20 8650 1573e: [email protected]
Sales Manager: Rob Gore t: +44 20 8370 7007e: [email protected]
Sales: Jo Lewis t: +44 20 8370 7793e: [email protected]
Head of Sales - Asia: Kym Tan t: +65 9456 3165e: [email protected]
Production Manager: Richard Neighbourt: +44 20 8370 7013e: [email protected]
Circulation Manager: Joanne Collett t: +44 20 8370 7795e: [email protected]
Korean Representative: Chang Hwa ParkFar East Marketing Inct: +82 2730 1234e: [email protected]: [email protected] Representative: Shigeo FujiiShinano Co., Ltd.t: +81 335 846 420e: [email protected]
Chairman: John LabdonManaging Director: Steve LabdonEditorial Director: Steve MatthewsFinance Director: Cathy LabdonActing Head of Production: Marco Di PaolaExecutive Editor: Paul GuntonGroup Sales Manager: Bill Cochrane
Published by:Riviera Maritime Media LtdMitre House 66 Abbey RoadEnfield EN1 2QN UK
www.rivieramm.com
ISSN 2051-056X
©2014 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd
The Future is ClearME-GI dual fuel done right
MAN B&W MC/MC-C Engines MAN B&W ME/ME-C/ME-B Engines MAN B&W ME-GI/ME-C-GI/ME-B-GI Engines
The new ME-GI generation of MAN B&W two-stroke dual fuel ‘gas injection’ engines are characterised by clean and efficient gas combustion control with no gas slip. The fuel flexibility and the inherent reliability of the two-stroke design ensure good longterm operational economy. Find out more at www.mandieselturbo.com
BALLAST WATER TREATMENT
We combined our capabilities in Shipbuilding, Repair & Conversion, Research and Services to help you!
The Damen Global One Stop Shop Ballast Water Treament Retrofit Service gives you peace of mind. We design and deliver turnkey retrofitting of your individual vessel or your entire fleet. Life cycle support is guaranteed through our Damen worldwide service support network.
Damen also develops alternatives. Our proprietary Mobile Ballast Water Treatment Technology will enable port based solutions. This unique technology allows Ballast Water to be treated only at discharge. It will be available as a Ballast Water Treatment Vessel or as a Mobile Ballast Water Treatment Container.
Damen your trusted partner for ballast water compliance!
LOOKING FOR COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO COMPLY WITH BALLAST WATER REGULATIONS?
WWW.DAMEN.COM | +31 (0)183 63 99 11 | [email protected]
adv2014_015_BWT v2.indd 1 17-04-14 15:39
www.mpropulsion.com
Paul Gunton
A s this issue goes to press, IMO’s Marine Environment
Protection Committee (MEPC) has just finished its
66th session, during which it addressed an impressive
range of topics – from ship recycling to the impact of
underwater noise on marine life. But most eyes – certainly
among Marine Propulsion readers – were on two topics: ballast
water treatment and emissions.
Ballast water management presented the bigger surprise of
the two. After the IMO Assembly had agreed in November to a
proposal from last May’s MEPC meeting of a revised timetable
that flag states could adopt, it was thought that this would be
enough to persuade more of them to ratify the Ballast Water
Management Convention (BWMC). There was even talk
before the meeting that a number of states – principally in
Asia – were planning to ratify it simultaneously, thus bringing
it up to the gross tonnage target without any single state being
seen as the one that took it across the line.
In the event, no new signatories emerged and the total
tonnage remains at 30.38 per cent of the global fleet – 4.62
per cent short. This is not good news for the environment, as
alien species continue to be carried around the globe, largely
unimpeded. Nor is it good news for BWTS manufacturers.
There can be few industry sectors that offer a choice
of 70 systems and this cannot be viable, even when the
convention is in force and shipowners rush to fit them. Many
manufacturers had hung their hats on the expectation that
the BWMC would come into force in the near future, so the
indecision shown by MEPC 66 may begin a shake-out in the
ballast water treatment sector.
While some were focused on what comes into the bottom of
a ship, others were worried about what comes out of the top.
They, at least, had a little more to cheer about.
Many had expected that last year’s surprise proposal from
Russia to delay introduction of the Tier III NOx levels to 2021
would be confirmed, but it seems that some serious behind-
the-scenes lobbying had gone on in the interim. The outcome
is a complicated compromise, which is explained in detail in
this issue’s feature about SOx and NOx control.
The new timetable that was adopted as an amendment
to Marpol Annex VI does include the 2021 construction
deadline, but only for vessels of less than 500gt, of 24m or over
in length, which have been specifically designed, and are only
used, for recreational purposes: in other words, superyachts –
a decision that will surely be welcomed in a number of dachas.
The compromise appears to have been worked out during
MEPC itself and I share the concern of some representatives at
the meeting that this was a bit hasty. It is often said that IMO
moves too slowly but that does not mean that moving fast is
always the better option. Besides, what is IMO, apart from the
sum of its members? If they believe it moves too slowly, it is in
their hands to speed things up by, for example, ratifying and
bringing into force conventions that clearly benefit the global
marine environment. The BWMC springs to mind.
One region that will be pleased that the 2021-based
timetable has been downgraded is the EU. While not having a
seat at IMO, EU members often coordinate their views in IMO
debates and there was talk ahead of MEPC that a number of
EU members would pull together to vote down the Russian
proposal. In the event, I understand that some key states
would not play ball; they did not have to.
But EU bureaucrats – like their counterparts in the USA
– have a significant role in global shipping policy. One
organisation that recognises this is the European Community
Shipowners Associations (ECSA) which hosted a lunch in the
European Parliament in early April, bringing together industry
leaders such as Niels Smedegaard, CEO of DFDS, David Dingle,
CEO of Carnival UK and Philippe Louis Dreyfus, president
of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, with European Commission
officials, including its vice-president Siim Kallas.
The summary that ECSA has published does not suggest
that either side made much progress. The shipowners
put forward commercial arguments – implementing
the European SECA is an “own goal” by regulators, said
Mr Smedegaard, as its effects will force companies to close
financially struggling shipping routes. Mr Kallas’s response
was mostly environmental, saying that it would be to the
benefit of the EU and shipowners alike to find a global
solution for the reduction of CO2 emissions, although he did
assure his hosts that “we want EU shipping to prosper so that
it can serve a flexible and dynamic European economy.”
And that is the dilemma: the arguments for such things
as ballast water treatment and emissions control are
environmental. They are necessary, but solutions do not come
cheap. The arguments against are commercial: they will cost
the industry millions for no financial gain.
We should take a long-term perspective: it is inevitable that
these measures will come into effect and that there will be a
price to pay – not just by shipping companies, but by society as
those costs are absorbed into the market. Let’s get on with it. MP
Which way is the wind blowing?
comment
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 5
BALLAST WATER TREATMENT
We combined our capabilities in Shipbuilding, Repair & Conversion, Research and Services to help you!
The Damen Global One Stop Shop Ballast Water Treament Retrofit Service gives you peace of mind. We design and deliver turnkey retrofitting of your individual vessel or your entire fleet. Life cycle support is guaranteed through our Damen worldwide service support network.
Damen also develops alternatives. Our proprietary Mobile Ballast Water Treatment Technology will enable port based solutions. This unique technology allows Ballast Water to be treated only at discharge. It will be available as a Ballast Water Treatment Vessel or as a Mobile Ballast Water Treatment Container.
Damen your trusted partner for ballast water compliance!
LOOKING FOR COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO COMPLY WITH BALLAST WATER REGULATIONS?
WWW.DAMEN.COM | +31 (0)183 63 99 11 | [email protected]
adv2014_015_BWT v2.indd 1 17-04-14 15:39
essential.
www.marellimotori.com
Essential_A4_121.indd 4 30/01/2012 13.47.06
MarelliMotori®
Group of Companies
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 7www.mpropulsion.com
digest
in brief...• IACS member Korean Register (KR)
has created a mobile app containing
all of IMO’s conventions. It is based on
the class society’s KR-CON database
program which contains the full up-to-
date texts of all IMO conventions, codes,
resolutions and circulars.
• Carnival Corp is likely to have
scrubbers on at least 20 ships by the
end of the year. Trials on Queen Victoria
helped Carnival to obtain waivers from
the US Environmental Protection Agency
and from Transport Canada, to exempt it
from the requirement to use low sulphur
fuel in the North American emissions
control area (ECA) from next year.
• DNV GL has increased its stake
in StormGeo, a global provider of
weather data. It is the second biggest
shareholder after EQT Mid Market,
which has bought majority ownership
from private equity group Reiten & Co
and Norwegian broadcaster TV2. EQT
will enter into a partnership with DNV
GL and StormGeo’s management and
employee shareholders.
• Rolls-Royce has launched a new
Series 1600 MTU-branded genset. It
is based on a six-cylinder Series 1600
inline engine delivering up to 323kW
output and is compliant with IMO Tier II
and EPA Tier 3 regulations.
• Damen Song Cam, a new Vietnamese
shipyard that is a joint venture between
Damen Shipyards Group and local
shipbuilder Song Cam, opened in March.
It is one of the largest in the Damen
group and is Damen’s first formal joint
venture yard in Vietnam.
• Class NK has classed its first US-
flagged ship, the oil/chemical tanker
SLNC Pax, owned by Schuyler Line
Navigation Co.
• French group navigation satellite
specialist Orolia – best known for its
McMurdo brand electronic and safety
equipment – and the Transas Group
are to jointly develop e-maritime
systems that integrate maritime
domain awareness and search and
rescue functionality.
Brittany Ferries goes for gas
The world’s largest gas-fuelled ropax fleet
will emerge following a decision by France’s
Brittany Ferries to commit to gas fuelling for
the long term.
It currently has a newbuilding on order
at STX France that will be one of the
largest LNG-powered ropaxes yet, with a
passenger capacity of 2,475 and space for
800 cars. The ferry operator is converting
three other ships and the rest of its fleet will
be fitted with scrubbers but will eventually
be replaced by LNG-fuelled newbuildings.
The projects are being overseen by
Bureau Veritas (BV). Jean Jacques Juenet,
BV’s manager for passenger ships,
underlined the importance of having assured
bunkering arrangements in place. “With a
clear picture of the economics and safety
issues and certainty about the fuel supply,
Brittany Ferries was able to take the crucial
decision to adapt to new emissions rules by
making a full switch to gas power,” he said.
A risk analysis carried out by BV
together with its consultancy subsidiary
Tecnitas supported Brittany Ferries’ decision
to switch part of its fleet to gas fuel.
Bunkering arrangements played an
important role in the newbuilding’s design.
BV explained that it will utilise Gaztransport
et Technigaz (GTT) membrane tank
technology for the gas containment,
providing greater capacity and thus an
extended period between bunkering
operations. It will be the first ferry
anywhere to use a membrane gas
fuel tank.
In an interview with BV’s VeriStar
News newsletter, Frédéric Pouget,
Britany Ferries’ group maritime, port and
operations director, said that the ship will
have a tank capacity of 1,350m3. “And
we intend that bunkering of LNG will be
no more frequent than it is now for HFO.”
At the time of writing, the ferry company
was working with suppliers to set up an
LNG barge operation that would provide
bunkers to the various ports it serves at
the same or lower price than HFO.
No confirmation was available as to which
gas supplier will secure this contract but
sources mentioned GDF Suez as a possible
supplier. GDF Suez did not respond to a
request to comment on these reports. It has,
however, said that it sees LNG bunkering as
a new market, prompted by the demand that
will emerge from EU environmental directives,
and it is developing a design for an LNG
bunker tanker.
Brittany Ferries’ LNG-fuelled ferry will be bunkered by a dedicated barge operation (credit: Brittany Ferries/STX France)
E-course tackles energy efficiencyGerman shipping company E R Schiffahrt
has rolled out the DNV GL e-learning
course Energy Efficiency on Board across
its entire fleet of 125 container ships, bulk
carriers and offshore vessels. It is the first
company to do so.
The course, which is designed to help
operators to improve the energy efficiency of
their onboard systems, was jointly developed
by DNV GL and E R Schiffahrt as part of a
pilot project. The e-learning course will be
offered via the DNV GL Maritime Academy to the shipowner’s captains and chief engineers
to help them improve energy use through
targeted measures.
These include optimising trim and ballast,
looking for savings offered by propellers and
rudders, and improving route planning. The
course identifies where each measure can be
introduced and implemented and how great the
potential energy savings can be.
Kathrin Stürzekarn, team leader at ›››
essential.
www.marellimotori.com
Essential_A4_121.indd 4 30/01/2012 13.47.06
MarelliMotori®
Group of Companies
8 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
digest
diary
2014
2-6 June
Posidonia, Athens
www.posidonia-events.com
9-12 September
SMM, Hamburg
www.smm-hamburg.com
17-18 September
IMPA, London
www.impalondon.com
14-17 October
SIBCON, Singapore
www.sibconsingapore.com
28-30 October
Seatrade Middle East Maritime, Dubai
www.seatrade-middleeast.com
03-05 December
International Workboat Show,
New Orleans
www.seatrade-middleeast.com
see us at...
››› the DNV GL Maritime Academy in
Germany, said that the course was designed
specifically for E R Schiffahrt’s requirements.
“A team of developers explored the specific
elements of onboard operations, as well as
the opportunities available by changing crew
behaviour and optimising how equipment is
used on board,” she said.
ABB to maintain Van Oord’s turbochargersABB has signed a three-year international
maintenance contract with Dutch dredging
contractor Van Oord to service 140
turbochargers. The expectation is that this will
reduce failure rates and lead to fewer repairs,
resulting in cost savings.
The agreement’s main focus is to ensure
that Van Oord’s fleet is available as much as
possible with minimal downtime and low
CO2 emissions, ABB said in a statement. “The
agreement reflects the new Van Oord strategy,
in which we want to be sustainable and an
economical fleet manager,” said Jaap de Jong,
the operator’s shipmanagement director.
Rolf Bosma, general manager of ABB
Turbocharging for Benelux, said that a number
of services had been combined into a package.
“We tailored the planning for each location and
vessel, so that Van Oord will be able to budget
very precisely,” he said. MP
Turbochargers in Van Oord’s dredgers will be serviced by ABB (credit: Van Oord)
Modern communications and sophisticated
monitoring systems allow a different approach
to onboard maintenance, believes Wärtsilä.
In a webinar in March, it outlined how more,
and better, data could be analysed to provide
better condition-based maintenance regimes
and to improve the information that is
available to ships’ engineers and to Wärtsilä’s
maintenance staff.
It is working on a number of initiatives,
including a ‘remote virtual engineer’ concept.
This would allow a shore-based engineer to
support a ship’s engineer to resolve a problem
in real time with visual and audio support.
Speaking to Marine Propulsion, Guido
Barbazza, director of field services at Wärtsilä,
said that development of the virtual engineer is
at the advanced testing phase. The first priority,
however, is to connect machinery wirelessly on
board to provide the engineer with real-time
reliable data. He described this as a challenge in
an engineroom environment.
• A full article about Wärtsilä’s concepts will be
published in the June/July issue of Marine Propulsion.
Wärtsilä predicts new approach to maintenance
Future MarineFuels & Lubes conferenceOctober 2014www.rivieramm.com/events
Cressall
Whatever the application Cressall has the optimum solution.
We manufacture natural convection, fan or water cooled resistors that have the capability to absorb continuous powers from 1.0kW up to 20MW, suitable for use in even the harshest offshore environments.
Optimum Resistor Solutions find out more at www.cressall.com
AIR OR WATER COOLED RESISTORS
Cressall Resistors Ltd, Evington Valley Rd, Leicester, LE5 5LZ, U.K. Tel: (+44) (0) 116 2733633 • Email: [email protected]
Marine Prop dbr.indd 1 07/04/2014 10:35
are
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Ship Survey A4_st.pdf 1 24/02/2014 11:39
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 11www.mpropulsion.com
on the agenda
Passenger safety to dominate MSC 93 Looking beyond IMO’s recent Marine
Environment Protection Committee meeting
(MEPC 66) and the developments from it to
be progressed further at the committee’s next
session in October, the next big event on
the IMO calendar will be te Maritime Safety
Committee’s 93rd meeting, to be held on
14-23 May.
The agenda item almost guaranteed to
generate most interest will be the subject of
passenger ship safety where the continuing
saga of recommendations from the Costa
Concordia tragedy will continue to play out.
On the subject of passenger ship safety,
the insurance company Allianz Global
Corporate and Speciality makes an ominous
prediction in its Safety and Shipping Review
2014 publication.
In the opening executive summary, Allianz
says: “More than two years after the Costa
Concordia disaster, improving passenger
ship safety continues to be a priority with a
particular focus on services in Asia, where
quality standards can be an issue. 2014 is
likely to see the 100th loss of a passenger
vessel since 2002. It is a sobering reminder
that so many vessels and so many lives
have been lost in such a short period and
although many of the vessels were on
domestic services and not subject to Solas
rules and regulations, the attention of the
marine industry certainly seems to have been
focused in the wrong area for most of the
21st Century.
Other agenda items that are sure to
generate interest are lifeboat servicing,
maintenance and training requirements,
matters relating to dangerous goods and the
bulk code and the further developments in
the drafting and making mandatory the IMO
Polar Code. This last item in particular will
conceivably have ramifications for propulsion
requirements and the already mandatory EEDI.
One person taking a special interest in the
discussions at MSC 93 will be IMO secretary-
general Koji Sekimizu who said as much
when addressing the new Sub-Committee
on Ship Design and Construction on 20
January this year. That meeting marked the
centenary of the adoption of the very first
Solas, which came about as a reaction to the
Titanic disaster.
Commenting on the Titanic and Costa
Concordia incidents, Mr Sekimizu asked:
“We all know the discussions at the MSC
and development over the last two years and
still we have not finalised this very important
issue. In comparison with our great great
grandfathers’ generation, 100 years ago, are
we doing any better in our mission to enhance
the safety of passenger ships?”
Referring to the debate at the coming
Maritime Safety Committee on the issue of
safety of large passenger ships, he said: “If
we, at the MSC, cannot take action, I can tell
you with confidence that nobody on this planet
can take action and therefore the stakes are
high for the discussion at the MSC in May.”
After MSC 93, there will be a session of
the IMO Council in June followed later in
the summer by the initial meetings of three
more of the new sub-committees established
in last year’s restructuring of the IMO. At
the end of June it will be the inaugural
meeting of the new Sub-Committee on
Navigation, Communications and Search
and Rescue (NCSR), followed in July by
the Sub-Committee on Implementation of
IMO Instruments (III) and in September the
Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargo and
Containers (CCC) will meet for the first time.
Koji Sekimizu (IMO): “Are we doing any better in our mission to enhance the safety of passenger ships?” (credit: IMO)
“Governance is critical – our seas are in trouble
for want of governance. But good governance
is difficult to forge – not least in the high seas,
where there is little formal jurisdiction. The
sustainable use of our seas is equally essential
– and intimately linked, of course, to better
governance”. So reads the introduction to The
Economist magazine’s World Ocean Summit
held, in San Francisco in February.
Provocative possibly but not apparently of
great interest to ship operators and engineers
except that Masamichi Morooka, chairman of
the Internaional Chamber of Shipping (ICS) was
among the panel for the opening debate and was
compelled to remind delegates calling for a new
governing body for the oceans to be established
by the UN that, as far as shipping goes, one
already exists in the shape of the IMO.
Morooka said that IMO’s Marpol
Convention on pollution prevention has
contributed significantly to the dramatic
reduction in oil pollution from ships despite
massive growth in maritime trade. “Marpol also
addresses sulphur emissions and the reduction
of CO2 from global shipping, the only global
deal on CO2 emissions of its kind developed
for a whole industrial sector. This will reduce
CO2 from ships by 20 per cent by 2020 with
further reductions going forward,” he told
the conference.
The ICS chairman’s defence of the IMO
was well considered but the organisation he
leads was compelled to issue a statement
saying, “If however – as has been suggested
at the summit – a new body for ocean
governance was eventually established,
alongside the IMO, to deal with non-
shipping issues, such as fishing and ocean
acidification, ICS believes this would be best
delivered without a radical overhaul ›››
Is another ocean governing body needed?
The World Ocean Summit heard that “our seas are in trouble for want of governance” (credit: Blancpain)
12 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
MOL Comfort report expected soonA final report on the loss of the MOL Comfort,
the five-year old, 8,110 teu container ship that
broke in half and sank last year, is expected to
be made in August, according to a statement
made in March by the ship’s class society,
Japan’s ClassNK.
It led the Committee on Large Container
Ship Safety set up last August by Japan’s
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport &
Tourism in response to the casualty and which
produced an interim report that was released
last December; with an English version released
in March.
In addition to compiling the results of the
Committee’s investigation, the Interim Report
also proposed future tasks for investigation
and analysis. In order to carry out these tasks,
ClassNK established a new Investigative Panel
on Large Container Ship Safety which is
chaired by Professor Yoichi Sumi of Yokohama
National University, and composed of leading
experts from shipowners, shipbuilders, and
academic institutions.
The first session of the Panel was held on 21
February and the members agreed to carry out
the following course of action:
• Investigate the possibility of casualty
occurrence;
• Conduct onboard measurements of container
ships in operation in order to verify actual hull
structure responses and acting wave loads;
• Consider and examine large container ship
safety.
The panel plans to meet numerous times
over the coming months to evaluate the
investigative and analysis work and expects to
release its findings by the end of August. The
results will also be reported to the Committee
on Large Container Ship Safety.
In a separate development, IACS has
established a new project team to address large
container ship safety, which also began working
in February and is also chaired by ClassNK.
• Read the interim report via www.tinyurl.com/MOLC-rep
on the agenda
››› of UNCLOS with its carefully agreed
balance between the rights of nations.” One
observer commented to Marine Propulsion
after the event that much of the UN’s
current agenda “seems to be determined
by environmentalist organisations, so there
must be a concern that the supposedly
non-shipping matters might include seabed
mining and even deep sea oil and gas
extraction.” If that were to occur, he argued,
“that would impact upon the number and
type of offshore ships that would be needed
and might even lead to the IMO losing the
authority to determine matters currently
covered by Marpol.”
He expressed concern that, while “the
present system at the IMO is not perfect, it
is at least led in the main by the interests of
the shipping industry. Were that situation to
change, the impact on shipping in matters
such as ballast water treatment and exhaust
emissions might become much more
onerous and expensive than it already is.”
MRV is alive and kickingA disagreement between the European
Commission and the European Parliament over
the scope and timing of monitoring, reporting
and verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions from
shipping, could see more ships and NOx brought
into the EU scheme and an earlier start date.
The original proposals from the European
Commission last June proposed that a directive
covering monitoring of CO2 emissions should be
adopted in 2015 and in force from 2018. Under
it, all vessels over 5,000gt would be obliged to
report emissions based on bunker consumption
verified by bunker delivery notes, but the
European Parliament has sought to impose
more stringent conditions including mandatory
monitoring equipment installed on all ships.
In late January, members of the European
Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and
Food Safety (ENVI) committee agreed on a
compromise position that lays the foundation for
a global measure to reduce CO2 emissions from
international shipping. The compromise position
adopted by the European Parliament essentially
enlarges the scope of the initial commission
proposal for an EU law on the matter. According
to the European Parliament, the MRV system
should not only monitor CO2 but also NOx and
the threshold should be lowered from 5,000gt to
400gt. The parliament also wants the adoption
date brought forward to this summer.
A statement by the European Community
Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) issued after
the parliament’s decision said that the EU
might actually be undermining its own efforts
to pave the way for an agreement on CO2 at
the IMO. “We realise that the position taken
by the European Parliament is a basis for
negotiation with the Council of Ministers” said
Patrick Verhoeven , ECSA secretary general.
“We are however concerned about several of
the contents, namely the inclusion of other
emissions and the lowered threshold to 400gt,
which might prove to be an obstacle for a
speedy agreement at IMO level.”
ECSA’s concerns over the inclusion of NOx
stems from the fact that, unlike CO2, NOx
cannot be calculated from fuel consumption
alone and continuous monitoring would require
a capital outlay on expensive equipment.
“EU member states have however given a
clear political signal that any solution to curb
global CO2 emissions must result from an
international agreement at IMO level” added
Mr Verhoeven, referring to a joint submission
to the IMO Marine Environment Protection
Committee, made by the EU member states
and the European Commission, which proposes
the key elements for a system to collect data on
CO2 emissions and energy efficiency of ships.
In March, the International Chamber of
Shipping (ICS) organised a seminar In Ålesund,
Norway for senior officials of maritime
administrations where it explained that it
supports a global system, provided that the
mechanism is simple to administer, is primarily
based on fuel consumption and that the system
itself will not be used for the development of a
full blown market-based measure.
ICS’ director of external relations, Simon
Bennett, said: “ICS believes that the question
of whether IMO should eventually develop a
mandatory system of energy indexing for existing
ships – to which ICS is currently opposed –
should be left open until after a mandatory CO2
emissions reporting system has been established.”
Mr Bennett went on to say that the
successful development of a global system will
require the support of all IMO member states,
including nations such as China. To make
progress and discourage regional regulation he
thought the MEPC should initially focus on how
information about emissions should be collected
before launching into detailed discussions about
efficiency indexing of ships, on which there is
little global consensus. “If they so wish, IMO
member states can always return to the question
of ship indexing once a CO2 monitoring system
has been established,” he said.
Referring to the EU discussions, Mr Bennett
remarked: “It is unfortunate that the debate
has been complicated by the parallel proposal
from the European Commission for a unilateral
regional system of CO2 reporting. MP
Simon Bennett (ICS): “It is unfortunate that the debate has been complicated by the parallel proposal from the European Commission” (credit: ICS)
© 2014 Chevron Marine Products LLC. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of Chevron Intellectual Property LLC.
IDU
Cre
ativ
e Ser
vice
s +
1 585
248 5
229
team
@id
udes
ign.
com
w
ww
.idud
esig
n.co
m 8
7 Cal
lingh
am R
d, P
ittsf
ord,
NY
1453
4 USA
Learn about Taro Special HT 100 and other Chevron Marine Lubricants
Helping You Navigate Your Journey
products at www.ChevronMarineProducts.com
Chevron’s newest cylinder lubricant in
the Taro line of marine engine oils.
Taro Special HT 100 combats the
effects of cold corrosion in new
design engines, providing
excellent wear protection
and piston cleanliness.
Introducing Taro® Special HT 100,
Visit us at Posidonia Hall 3, Stand 3.415
NEW PRODUCT!
Chevron Global Lubricants 147612->Future Marine 2014 210x297 Full-page Ad.1.indd 1 4/2/14 10:34 AM
UNITROL® 1000. Compact and powerful providing stable and reliable control.
ABB’s latest automatic voltage regulators (AVR) UNITROL 1010 and UNITROL 1020 are intended for synchronous generators with exciters. Vibration withstanding mechanical design in combination with outstanding functionality such as built-in synchronizer and reactive load sharing at constant bus voltage qualify these AVRs for the most demanding marine applications. Excellent performance over time, a wide temperature range as well as DNV, cUL, and CE certifications contribute towards meeting offshore and onshore operational requirements. www.abb.com/unitrol
ABB Switzerland LtdStatic Excitation SystemsPhone: +41 58 589 24 86E-Mail: [email protected]
Marine_ABB UNITROL 1000_ad_A4_022012.indd 1 2012-02-17 14:24:48
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 15www.mpropulsion.com
What is the aim and scope of ISO 19030?The aim of this standard is to recommend
practical methods for measuring changes in ship
specific hull and propeller performance, to the
industry for use on a voluntary basis.
What is hull and propeller performance and why is it important?Hull and propeller performance refers to the
relationship between the condition of a ship’s
underwater hull and propeller and the power
required to move the ship through water.
Measurements of changes in hull and propeller
performance over time make it possible to
determine the impact of hull and propeller
related maintenance, repair and retrofit activities
on the fuel efficiency of the ship in question.
How did the project start?In a submission to IMO’s Marine Environment
Protection Committee (MEPC) in February 2012,
(MEPC63-4-8), the Norway-based environmental
organisation the Bellona Foundation – as a part of
the Clean Shipping Coalition and in cooperation
with Jotun – called for a transparent and reliable
standard for measuring changes in hull and
propeller performance.
In the submission it was estimated that the
potential for fuel cost and greenhouse gas emission
reductions related to improvements in hull and
propeller performance was between 7 and 10
per cent across the world fleet. This translates
into around 0.3 per cent of all man-made carbon
emissions and US$30 billion in fuel costs.
When will the standard be available?Work on the standard was initiated in June
2013 and the target date for submission of
a Draft International Standard is December
2014. Once a Draft International Standard has
been finalised, continued efforts undertaken
to secure involvement from the industry every
step of the way should pay off, and the June
2016 deadline set by ISO for final approval of
ISO 19030 could be met.
How will it affect me?ISO 19030 will make it possible to accurately
determine the impact of hull and propeller
related maintenance, repair and retrofit activities
on the fuel efficiency of the ship in question.
This can in turn be used to learn from actions
taken in the past and to make better decisions
for tomorrow. The standard will also make it
possible for buyers and suppliers of technologies
and solutions aimed at improving hull and
propeller performance to enter into performance
based contracts based on a contractually
acceptable measurement methodology.
Who is involved?Svend Søyland from the Bellona Foundation has
been elected the convener of the working group
and Geir Axel Oftedahl from Jotun has been
appointed project manager.
There are currently more than 50 experts
and observers, representing shipowners,
shipping associations, newbuild yards, coatings
manufacturers, performance monitoring
companies, academic institutions, class societies
and non-governmental organisations in the ISO
working group tasked with reaching consensus
on a draft standard. Additional industry
stakeholders have and will continue to be
consulted as a part of this process. IMO’s MEPC
is being updated on progress on a regular basis.
The work is being undertaken within ISO’s
Technical Committee (TC) 8, which deals with
ships and marine technology, whose Sub-
Committee (SC) 2 is concerned with marine
environment protection. This project team forms
SC 2’s Working Group 7. Two-thirds of the 14
participating member (P-member) bodies of ISO
TC 8/SC 2 have to approve the draft before it is
submitted as a final Draft International Standard
for consideration by all ISO member bodies.
What about other drivers of ship efficiency?The scope of ISO 19030 is limited to hull
and propeller performance only and does not
cover, for example, engine, fuel quality and
navigation. However, the work that goes into
standardising a method for accurately isolating
hull and propeller from the other drivers of ship
efficiency should make it easier to standardise
similar measurability for those, as well.
How can I get involved in developing the standard?Experts and observers are appointed by the 14
P-member bodies of ISO TC8/SC2. If you are an
expert in a relevant field and want to contribute you
can contact either the convener (svend@bellona.
no) or project manager (geir.axel.oftedahl@jotun.
no) for relevant contact details. MP
The ISO is developing a standard for hull and propeller performance. Geir Axel Oftedahl, business development director for hull performance solutions at Jotun and project manager for the standard’s working group, explains why
Setting a new performance standard
briefing
This propeller upgrade by MAN Diesel & Turbo’s PrimeServ division reduced fuel consumption for this dredger. The ISO standard will define how such changes can be measured (credit: MAN Diesel & Turbo)
www.mpropulsion.com
A pioneer in applying dual-fuel
technology to marine engines, Wärtsilä
continually extends its references in
diverse arenas with a programme embracing
20DF, 34DF and 50DF medium speed designs.
With respective bore sizes of 200mm, 340mm
and 500mm, these engines cover an output
range from 1,000kW to 17.5MW to target a
wide range of shipping and offshore propulsion
and genset market opportunities.
Over 1,000 Wärtsilä DF engines delivered
by October last year had accumulated more
than 7 million operating hours, 50DF models
forming the electric power stations of LNG
carriers accounting for a significant number of
these installations.
Other references include the new P-63 FPSO
vessel entering service offshore Brazil, whose
50DF machinery is the first to exploit gas-fuelled
engines in producing more than 100MWe; the
plant can run on treated well gas or treated
crude as well as on marine diesel oil.
Non-offshore shipping applications of 50DF
machinery include Viking Grace, a 57,000gt/2,800-
passenger Baltic cruiseferry delivered last year
by STX Europe to Viking Line. The twin-screw
propulsion plant of the world’s first LNG-fuelled
passenger vessel is based on a quartet of eight-
cylinder L50DF engines.
A recent contract calls for Wärtsilä to supply
eight 50DF engines for converting Totem Ocean’s
two Orca-class roro cargo ships, Midnight Sun and
North Star, to LNG-fuelled electric propulsion.
The vessels transport around one-third of all
the goods required by the inhabitants of Alaska,
including food, vehicles and construction
material, between Tacoma and Anchorage.
Each vessel will be retrofitted with four V12-
cylinder 50DF-driven gensets capable of running
on either natural gas, marine diesel or heavy
fuel oil. Wärtsilä will additionally supply two
1,100m3 LNG fuel storage tanks and associated
automation and fuel gas handling systems.
Wärtsilä’s DF technology was launched in
the early 1990s for land-based power plant
applications, the first marine 50DF installation
following a decade later. LNG carriers were
a special target, such tonnage exploiting the
capability of the engine to burn cargo boil-off
gas as well as marine diesel and heavy fuel
oils, switching between the fuel modes without
disrupting power generation.
Electric power stations based on 50DF engines
became favoured for LNG carrier propulsion,
breaking the steam turbine’s dominant grip when
the first DF-electric tonnage was contracted in
2002. By the end of 2006 over 200 such engines
were on order or in service with an aggregate
rating of almost 2,000MW for 52 LNG carriers.
The first three of these LNGCs – Provalys, Gaz
de France energY and Gaselys – were delivered to
French owner Gaz de France by Chantiers de
l’Atantique (now STX France) from end-2006
into 2007. Later in 2007 saw the handover of a
fourth 50DF-driven LNGC, BP Shipping’s British
Emerald, from Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Different quadruple-engine/single-screw
configurations were selected for these ships,
depending on their size and operational
requirements. Gaz de France energY, a 75,000m3
MedMax class carrier, is powered by a plant
comprising four L6-cylinder 50DF-driven main
gensets with a total output of 22.8MW.
The 155,000m3 Provalys, Gaselys and British
Emerald all tap an aggregate power rating of
39.9MW; the two French-built vessels, however,
each feature packages based on one L6-cylinder
and three V12-cylinder 50DF genset engines,
while British Emerald deploys two V12- and two
L9-cylinder models.
Similar or variations of these machinery
layouts were specified for subsequent LNGC
projects using 50DF-electric solutions. By mid-
February this year the LNGC reference list
embraced 141 ships/567 engines.
Production of 50DF engines was initially
assigned to Wärtsilä’s facility in Trieste, Italy, but
demand stimulated investment in a dedicated
new factory at Mokpo in South Korea, whose
yards were building most of the new generation
LNG carriers. The 50:50 joint venture Wärtsilä-
Hyundai Engine Company (WHEC) came on
stream in 2008 with the planned annual capacity
to produce 100-120 x 50DF engines.
WHEC remained the main source of 50DF
engine production as LNGC building projects
proliferated in Asia, with Trieste acting as a
buffer supply.
Developed from Wärtsilä’s successful
460mm-bore W46 medium speed diesel engine,
the 50DF has a bore of 500mm and a stroke of
580mm. Running on either natural gas, marine
diesel oil or heavy fuel oil – with seamless
switching facilitated between them – the design
delivers an output of 950/975 kW per cylinder
at 500/514 rpm for 50Hz and 60Hz electricity
generation respectively; offered in six, eight,
and nine in-line and V12, 16 and 18-cylinder
A dominant status in LNG carrier propulsion has been secured by Wärtsilä’s 500mm-bore medium speed dual-fuel engine, whose environmental merits are increasingly appreciated in other sectors
by Doug Woodyard
LNGCs primed 50DF engine sales surge
enginebuilder profile
Provalys pioneered Wärtsilä 50DF-electric power in LNG carriers
18 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
variants, the series covers a power range from
5,500kW to 17.55MW.
In gas mode, with fuel supplied at a low
pressure (less than 5 bar at the engine inlet), the
engine operates according to the lean-burn Otto
process. The mixture of air and gas in the cylinder
contains more air than is needed for complete
combustion – typically a 2.2:1 ratio – which lowers
peak temperatures and hence NOx emissions. A
higher compression ratio is also facilitated, raising
engine efficiency and further reducing emissions.
The fuel system is divided into three elements:
for gas, back-up fuel oil and pilot fuel oil.
Gas is admitted into the air inlet channels of
the individual cylinders during the intake stroke
to create a lean, premixed air-gas mixture in the
combustion chambers. Reliable ignition of the
mixture is secured by injecting a small quantity of
diesel oil directly into the combustion chamber as
pilot fuel which ignites by compression ignition
as in a conventional diesel engine.
Micro-pilot ignition injection is exploited,
such that less than 1 per cent of the overall
fuel energy is required as liquid fuel at nominal
load. Pilot fuel oil is delivered via a common
rail system based on an engine-mounted high
pressure pump supplying the fuel to every
injection valve at around 900 bar. The injection
valves are of twin-needle design, with the pilot
fuel needle electronically controlled by the
engine control system.
Electronic control closely regulates the pilot
injection system and air-gas ratio to keep each
cylinder at its correct operating point between
the ‘knock’ and misfiring limits; this, Wärtsilä
explained, is the key factor in achieving reliable
operation in gas mode: automatically tuning the
engine to match varying conditions.
Securing the highest efficiency and lowest
emissions, each cylinder is individually
controlled to ensure operation at the correct air-
fuel ratio, with the correct amount and timing
of pilot fuel injection. Both gas admission and
pilot fuel injection are electronically controlled
and engine functions are controlled by an
advanced automation system allowing optimum
running conditions to be set independently of
the ambient conditions or fuel type.
The global air-fuel ratio is controlled by a
wastegate valve which allows some of the exhaust
gases to bypass the turbine of the turbocharger,
ensuring that the ratio is correct regardless of
changing ambient conditions, such as temperature.
Starting is normally executed in diesel mode,
using both main diesel and pilot fuel. Gas
admission is activated when combustion is
stable in all cylinders.
When running in gas mode, the engine
automatically switches over to diesel fuel
operation if the gas feed is interrupted or
component failure occurs. The switchover takes
less than a second and has no effect on engine
speed and load during the process.
In diesel mode the engine works according
to the normal diesel concept using a jerk pump
fuel injection system. Diesel fuel is injected at
high pressure into the combustion chamber
just before top dead centre. Gas admission is
deactivated but the pilot fuel remains activated
to ensure reliable pilot fuel injection when the
engine is transferred back to gas operation.
Transfer from diesel to gas running is a more
gradual process than gas to diesel mode; the
diesel fuel supply is slowly reduced while the
amount of gas admitted is increased. The effect
on engine speed and load fluctuation during
transfer to gas is reportedly minimal.
Lean combustion enables a high compression
ratio, which in turn increases engine efficiency
and reduces peak temperatures, thereby fostering
lower NOx emissions. The environmental merits
of LNG-fuelled engines are particularly valued
for operations in NOx and SOx emissions-
sensitive regions.
In gas mode, the 50DF engine’s NOx
emissions are said to be at least 85 per cent
below those specified in IMO Tier II regulations,
while carbon dioxide emissions are some 25 per
cent less than those of a conventional marine
engine running on diesel fuel. Furthermore, SOx
and particulate matter emissions are negligible
at almost zero per cent.
• Wärtsilä has now extended its choice of dual-
fuel medium speed engines with the introduction
of a 46DF model, a gas-burning derivative of the
successful 460mm-bore diesel design. MP
enginebuilder profile
Arrangement of the four V12-cylinder 50DF-driven gensets specified to convert Totem Ocean’s Orca-class roro ships to gas burning; Wärtsilä is also supplying the associated LNGPac fuel handling systems
A V18-cylinder version of the 50DF engine, used in electric power stations of LNG carriers
THE AZIMUTH PROPULSION COMPANY
www.steerprop.com
As the leading azimuth propulsion expert for demanding applications, Steerprop Ltd. combines decades of experience with modern technology and the latest design methods.
Based on this expertise, Steerprop Ltd. provides the quality and ef�ciency that the customer needs and deserves.
engineering for a better world
GEA Mechanical Equipment
With a wide-ranging portfolio of cutting-edge technology seaprotectsolutions safe-guard the investments of our clients while protecting the marine ecosystem.seaprotectsolutions remove potential hindrances so your operations run smoothly and reliably. Nothing can get in your way. Clear waters to the horizon and beyond.
GEA Westfalia Separator Group GmbHWerner-Habig-Straße 1, 59302 Oelde, GermanyPhone: +49 2522 77-0, Fax: +49 2522 [email protected], www.gea.com
Clear Waters to the Horizon and Beyond
GEA Westfalia Separator seaprotectsolutions
2 – 6 JUNE 2014ATHENS, GREECE
MA
-01-
005
20 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
A retrofit solution for mechanically-
controlled MAN B&W MC low speed
engines with single turbochargers is
now offered by MAN Diesel & Turbo to optimise
low load operation. Fuel savings of 2-5 g/kWh
with short payback times are promised by
MAN EcoCam as well as an increased Pmax
cylinder pressure through adjustable exhaust
valve timing.
“Slow steaming is now an established
industry standard across all segments, including
the tanker and bulker markets,” explains MAN
Diesel & Turbo’s head of retrofit and upgrade,
Christian Ludwig. “We continuously seek to
further refine our technology and improve
efficiency,” he said.
“The MAN EcoCam adjusts the exhaust
valve timing between 10 and 60 per cent load,
giving a 2-5 g/kWh fuel saving with minimal-
to-no interruption to a vessel’s schedule during
installation," said Mr Ludwig.”
MAN EcoCam is based on a flexible cam
profile, termed a virtual cam, which is controlled
hydraulically by adjusting the amount of actuator
oil in the hydraulic pushrod. Thoroughly tested,
the system is initially rolling out on a number of
500mm-bore MAN B&W S50MC-C engines but
will be progressively introduced to the mid- and
large-bore programme.
Low-load tuning has an impact on torsional
vibration and NOx emissions. When a low-load
tuning method is installed on an engine, the
torsional vibration impact and NOx level must be
taken into account to ensure that the engine is
not harmed and that NOx emissions comply with
IMO requirements, the designer explained. MAN
EcoCam customers are supported by a new torsional
vibration calculation and NOx amendment.
Two independent testbed installations and a
shipboard trial have reportedly verified the fuel
consumption reduction effect.
Earlier closure of the exhaust valve yields a
higher compression pressure, thereby delivering
a higher combustion pressure and lower fuel
consumption. Flexible exhaust valve timing has
traditionally only been available on electronically-
controlled engines.
A typical fuel saving in the 2-5 g/kWh range
(depending on the engine load profile) from
the EcoCam can underwrite a system payback
period of as little as 18 months for smaller
engines, such as a six-cylinder S50MC-C model
with 6,000 annual running hours.
• The low load operating capability of MAN B&W
engines is also improved by slide fuel valves, which
are standard on all new engines and retrofittable
to MC engines in service. By mid-2013 some
20,000 valves had been retrofitted to enhance fuel
economy and environmental performance.
A slide fuel valve eliminates the sac volume
associated with conventional valves, lowering fuel
consumption and eliminating dripping from the
valve nozzle; NOx emission reduction potential
is also cited. The reduced sac volume leads to
an improved combustion process, resulting in
fewer deposits throughout the gasways and a
reduction in overall emissions, such as HC, NOx
and particulate matter; additionally, visible smoke
conditions are greatly reduced.
An advantage is also reported for slide fuel
valves in engines running in slow steaming
mode; an improved low load performance has
benefits with respect to soot formation. The
need to run at high rpm to clean exhaust
channels is reduced or eliminated.
Replacing standard fuel valves with slide
valves is straightforward, said MAN Diesel &
Turbo, and can be carried out by ship staff after
instruction or by MAN PrimeServ.
The benefits are summarised as: improved low
load performance; better combustion; reduced
fouling of gasways, exhaust gas boiler and piston
top land; no sac volume/no drips; less visible
smoke formation; and lower emissions of HC,
NOx and PM. MP
two stroke engines
REDUCED FUEL CONSUMPTION AS A FUNCTION OF ENGINE LOAD
EXHAUST VALVE OPENING DIAGRAMS FOR STANDARD CAM AND MAN ECOCAM
EcoCam cuts fuel consumption on MC engines
7,00
6,00
5,00
4,00
3,00
2,00
1,00
0,00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Delta
Standard Cam
MAN EcoCam
Crank Angle
50 75 200 300250225 275175100 125 150
mm
Lift
Load %
Reduction in consumption(g/kWh)
MAN EcoCam Fuel SavingExample: 6S50MC-C8,1
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 21www.mpropulsion.com
A low speed dual-fuel propulsion plant
selected for two pure car/truck carriers
will enable the tonnage to complete
14-day round voyages in the Baltic burning LNG
only. The 3,800-car capacity vessels will be built
for United European Car Carriers (UECC) by the
NACKS yard in Nantong, China, a joint venture
between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and the
China Ocean Shipping Group, for delivery in
second-half 2016.
Propulsive power will be provided by an
eight-cylinder MAN B&W S50ME-C8.2-GI two-
stroke engine designed to handle LNG, heavy
fuel oil or marine gas oil. Auxiliary power will
also be supplied by a gas-burning installation
based on three gensets driven by four-stroke
dual-fuel engines. Other technologies and
design elements will be exploited to reduce fuel
consumption and emissions, contributing to an
environment-friendly specification.
“The LNG installation is a pioneering design
and will be one of the largest employed on a
commercial vessel, and the largest yet of its
kind on a PCTC,” reported UECC chief executive
officer Glenn Edvardsen.
Operation in the regional Sulphur Emission
Control Area will be facilitated by the gas-
burning capability. “Opportunities to use heavy
fuel oil are fairly limited as long as we trade
vessels in this area,” Bjorn Svenningensen,
UECC’s head of car transport sales and
marketing, told Marine Propulsion. “We wanted
a dual-fuel system in case the market should
collapse and we need to trade these vessels in
another area. It’s a fallback position.”
These largest PCTCs specifically designed for
transiting the Baltic and other ice-prone areas
– 181m in length and 30m wide – will have
1A Super Finnish/Swedish ice class enabling
year-round operations in the Baltic area. Rolling
capacity on the Lloyd’s Register-classed vessels
will be arranged over 10 decks and optimised
for current and predicted cargo mixes, including
Mafi trailers and high and heavy freight.
• Growing references are being logged by
MAN Diesel & Turbo’s low speed dual-fuel
programme, which now offers GI (gas injection)
versions of all MAN B&W electronically-
controlled ME-type engines up to 980mm-bore.
Gas-fuelled ME-GI propulsion solutions are
available for diverse mainstream newbuildings,
while retrofits of existing ME diesel engines
can also be carried out.
Market debuts were earned at end-2012
with contracts for eight-cylinder 700mm-bore
L70ME-C8.2-GI engines for US-based TOTE’s
3,100 teu container ship newbuildings; and for
twin five-cylinder G70ME-GI engine packages
for Teekay LNG Partners’ 173,400m3 LNG
carrier commitments.
More recent orders called for engines for
other LNG carrier and container ship projects.
The seven-cylinder 900mm-bore S90ME-GI
models booked to power 3,600 teu ships for US
operator Matson are said to be the largest dual-
fuel engines ever ordered in terms of power
output (42.7MW); and twin seven-cylinder
G70ME-GI installations for a pair of 176,300m3
LNGCs ordered by Knutsen OAS are expected
to yield fuel savings of more than 30 tonnes of
gas per day over an equivalent medium speed
DF-electric plant at a normal ship speed of
15-17 knots.
Early 2014 saw eight-cylinder S70ME-
GI8.2 engines specified to propel two 26,500
dwt ConRo ships contracted by Florida-based
Crowley Maritime Corporation from VT Halter
Marine’s Pascagoula yard. MP
Gas-fuelled PCTCs will keep SOx at bay in the Baltic
RT-flex50 power for chemtanker sextetComplete propulsion systems from Wärtsilä for six 38,000 dwt chemical tankers building at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China for Stolt Tankers BV will be based on 500mm-bore RT-flex50 low speed engines. Equipment deliveries are due to start this summer for the 44,000m3 tankers, the first of which is expected to be completed
in December 2015. Options are held for another pair.
Wärtsilä’s shipsets will also include CP propellers, tunnel gearboxes and associated shaft generators as well as oily water separators. The group highlights the merits of packages sourced from one supplier, citing efficient integration of the various
elements. The combination of a two-stroke engine and a shaft generator, for example, calls for optimum co-ordination between engine controls and propulsion controls.
The risk of expensive construction delays caused by problems from multi-supplier sources is also lowered by a single-source delivery.
Car carriers join the LNG-fuelled fleet
www.napier-turbochargers.com
Genuine Spare Parts & Service
Napier is a world leader in the design, manufacture and support of industrial turbochargers. With over 60 years’ experience, our specialist engineers have produced more than 50,000 turbochargers providing reliable performance in some of the most arduous environmental conditions around the world, year after year.
FLEXIBLE GLOBAL SUPPORTSALES AND SUPPORT +44 (0)1522 516665
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 23www.mpropulsion.com
An integrated design, engineering and equipment package from Rolls-Royce for an innovative offshore vessel project will include six diesel gensets based on the group’s Bergen B32:40 medium speed engine design. With a length of around 169m and a breadth of 28m, the Rolls-Royce UT 777 CD design vessel will be built in Japan by Kawasaki Heavy Industries for Norway’s Island Offshore, with delivery due in 2017.
Operating experience from Island Wellserver, designed by Rolls-Royce
in 2005, will be applied to create a vessel capable of undertaking diverse subsea tasks such as top hole drilling, construction and inspection as well as maintenance and repair work in deep waters; it will also be adaptable for light well intervention. Accommodation for 91 personnel will be provided in the ICE 1B-class vessel.
A 27.9MW diesel-electric power station will embrace four gensets driven by nine-cylinder Bergen B32:40L9ACD engines, each developing 4,190kW at 720 rpm,
and two gensets driven by V12-cylinder B32:40V12ACD engines, each developing 5,587kW at 720 rpm.
Electrical power for propulsion and manoeuvring will be fed to three azimuth thrusters at the stern and a pair of retractable azimuth thrusters at the bow. Rolls-Royce will also supply two Super Silent side thrusters for the vessel, which will have a DP3 dynamic positioning capability. • Island Offshore recently took delivery of Island Dawn, the third offour Rolls-Royce UT 717 CD platform supply vessels ordered from the Norwegian yard Vard Brevik. The 84.45m-long x 17m-wide PSV, with a deadweight of 3,800 tonnes and a deck capacity of 800m2, is also prepared for later duties as a standby/rescue vessel.
Twin-screw propulsion is provided by two nine-cylinder Rolls-Royce Bergen C25:33 L9 medium speed engines, each rated at 2,880kW and arranged to drive a 2.9m-diameter Rolls-Royce CP propeller via a Rolls-Royce 750 AGHC-KP50H reduction gearbox equipped with a 1,920kW power take-off. The Rolls-Royce outfit also includes Kamewa Ulstein tunnel thrusters, mounted in pairs at bow and stern.
Supporting the two 2,400 kVA shaft alternators in supplying electrical power are a pair of gensets, each driven by a 398kW Scania DI 12 high speed engine.
four stroke engines
Bergen-based package powers 28MW offshore vessel
DF engines for another green German ferryGrowing interest in gas-fuelled propulsion in
Europe for coastal and shortsea tonnage is
underlined by German ferry operator Reederei
Cassen Eils’ selection of a Wärtsilä 20DF
propulsion package for a newbuilding from
domestic yard Fr Fassmer. The vessel is due for
service during the first half of 2015.
The latest twin nine-cylinder dual-fuel
medium speed engines, each rated at 1,665kW,
will deliver a 5 per cent higher output than
earlier versions of the 200mm-bore design
as well as a 7 per cent reduction in fuel
consumption in gas mode.
Primarily operating on LNG, the ferry will
be deployed daily between Cuxhaven and the
island of Helgoland on a route passing close to
the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea national park:
an environmentally sensitive UNESCO World
Heritage-listed area in the south eastern part of
the North Sea.
“As the vessel must fulfil the IMO
regulations regarding SOx and NOx
emissions in the North Sea’s Emissions
Control Area, its operations need to be
ecologically friendly with the lowest possible
emissions,” said Dr Bernhard Brons,
chairman of AG Ems, parent company of
Reederei Cassen Eils.
Each W20DF engine in the twin-screw
propulsion plant will drive a 2.6m-diameter
Wärtsilä CP propeller via a Wärtsilä gearbox
equipped with a 700kW PTO/PTI facility.
Wärtsilä will also supply the new ferry
with its shipboard LNGPac fuel bunkering
and supply system, incorporating a 53m3 LNG
storage tank, along with related safety and
automation systems. The group’s patented Cold
Recovery system, exploiting the latent heat of
LNG in the ferry’s air conditioning systems, will
reduce the amount of electricity consumed by
the cooling compressors.
A conversion project booked in April 2013 saw
Cassen Eils’ ferry Ostfriesland retrofitted by Wärtsilä
to dual-fuel propulsion, facilitating service in
similar environmentally sensitive waters.
An artist’s impression of UT 777-design for Island Offshore subsea support
MaKing power for tugs and tankersTwo 7,076 dwt product tankers completed
by Damen Shipyards Bergum (DSB) in
the Netherlands in June and December
last year are sailing under the commercial
management of the UK’s James Fisher
Everard. King Fisher and Kestrel Fisher are the
latest examples of the Damen Double Hull
Oil Tanker 8000 design, which offers a cargo
capacity of 8,363m3.
Gasoline, diesel oil, lubrication oil and jet
fuels will largely be transported in British,
Continental, Scandinavian and Baltic waters
by the 104.5m-long x 17m-wide tankers.
A trials speed of 12.3 knots was achieved
on the summer draught of 6.3m at 90 per
cent maximum continuous rating by a
propulsion plant based on an eight-cylinder
MaK M25C engine (2,640kW at 750 rpm)
driving a 3.85m-diameter CP propeller. The
hulls were built by Damen Shipyards’ Galati
facility in Romania and outfitted at the DSB
yard in Harlingen.
• The most powerful tug in the Canadian
registry entered service in December ›››
24 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
One of a pair of Damen-built product tankers with MaK M25C main engines
Canada’s most powerful tug was launched with additional flotation from inflatable bags
Quadruple-Cummins outfits drive large FSVsOffshore tonnage continues to provide
valuable business for Cummins propulsion
and genset engines. A longstanding
US-based customer, Seacor Marine,
specialises in fast support vessels (FSVs)
ranging in length from around 40m to 60m,
with speeds between 25 knots and 35 knots.
Among the operator’s latest acquisitions
is the first of two 54m-long FSVs from the
Neuville Boat Works in Louisiana, offering
a cargo capacity of 196 tonnes on 234m2 of
clear deck space and seating for up to 83
passengers. Tankage is arranged for potable
water, drill/fresh water and fuel oil.
Propulsive power for the ABS-classed
vessels is provided by four Cummins
QSK50-M engines, each developing
1,325kW at 1,800 rpm and driving a
Hamilton HT811 waterjet via a Twin Disc
gearbox with a reduction ratio of 2.58:1.
Speeds of 30 knots (at 50 dwt), 25 knots
(130 dwt) and 21 knots (180 dwt) are
promised by the quadruple-jet installation.
Electrical power is supplied by a pair of
290kW Cummins QSM11-driven gensets.
Twin Cummins K38M engines,
which are EPA Tier 2-compliant and have
a combined rating of 1,470kW, achieve a
speed of 13 knots for the 51m-long supply
vessel Mr Ernie, recently completed by
another Louisiana yard, New Generation
Marine Shipbuilding. Each engine drives
a Bird Johnson four-bladed propeller
through Twin Disc MGX-5321 gearing.
Electrical demands are met by two
300kW Cummins QSM11-driven gensets,
while another QSM11 engine powers the
Brunvoll bow thruster.
Deliveries from the New Generation
yard on the Intracoastal Waterway near
Houma last year included the 21.6m-long x
9m-wide pushboat Gunner. A pair of grid-
cooled Cummins KTA38-M engines (an
industry standard for pushboats of this size)
each yield 735kW at 1,800 rpm, driving
Kahlenberge propellers via Twin Disc 5321
gearboxes with reduction ratios of 6.394:1.
Triple-screw propulsion plant was
specified for ten 42m-long crewboats
building at the Vietnam yard of Australia-
based Strategic Marine for Brunei’s PTAS
Marine. The series was headed by PTAS MV
One and will be completed in June by PTAS
MV Tide.
Designed by Incat Crowther in
conjunction with Strategic Marine and
based on an established 40m aluminium
crewboat model, the larger vessels feature
a steel hull and aluminium superstructure.
Space is arranged for 12 crew, 30
rig workers and 100 survivors of an
emergency; up to 10 tonnes of cargo can be
carried on a clear deck area of the Lloyd’s
Register-classed design.
A central Cummins KTA50-M2 engine
delivering 1,325kW at 1,900 rpm is flanked
port and starboard by KTA38-M2 engines,
each rated at 990kW at 1,900 rpm. A total
of 3,310kW is transmitted by the engines
(all IMO Tier II-compliant) to three fixed
pitch propellers via Twin Disc reduction
gearsets, driving the vessel at 20 knots (at
85 per cent maximum continuous rating
and 40 dwt).
Electrical power is generated by two
80kW Cummins 6BT5.9 diesel-driven sets;
a 312kW Cummins QSJ11-D(M) engine
serves each vessel’s twin bow thrusters.
A 1,400m3 LPG carrier recently
completed by Saigon Shipbuilding &
Marine Industries One Member Co features
twin 294kW Cummins 855 propulsion
engines and a pair of 120kW gensets
driven by Cummins 6C engines. Designed
for coastal and river trading, the 60m-long
x 11m-wide vessel carries cargo in two
tanks. MP
››› with Quebec City-based Ocean Groupe
from the group’s own Ocean Industries yard.
The 6,000kW ASD tug Ocean Tundra is the
latest example of Vancouver naval architect
Robert Allan’s TundRA 100 class icebreaking
tug, which has a nominal bollard pull of
100 tonnes.
A range of duties can be handled by the
36m-long x 13m-wide vessel. These include
tasks such as tanker escort, terminal support,
general shipdocking and icebreaking/ice
management in ports along the St Lawrence
River. Coastal and rescue towage along with
firefighting can also be undertaken.
A free-running speed of 15.13 knots, a
bollard pull (ahead) of 110.3 tonnes, an
escort steering force (predicted) of 122
tonnes at 10 knots and a range of 3,700
nautical miles at 12 knots are provided by an
MaK-powered Z-drive azimuthing thruster
propulsion plant.
Twin nine-cylinder M25C medium speed
engines, each developing 3,000kW at 750
rpm, are installed to drive Rolls-Royce US
305 thrusters equipped with 3m-diameter
CP propellers.
Electrical power is supplied by three
gensets, each driven by a 250kW Caterpillar
C9 high speed diesel engine. The main and
auxiliary engines are resiliently mounted to
maximise noise and vibration isolation.
four stroke engines
KALDAIR
LNG FUEL PUMP SYSTEMS FOR MARINE PROPULSION
Tel: +1.949.261.7533 Email: [email protected]
MSP-34.2• Low Pressure Systems• Fuel Supply & Boost • 2 Stroke & 4 Stroke Engine
MSP-SL• High Pressure Systems• 300/600 Bar • 2 Stroke Engine
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 27www.mpropulsion.com
gas carriers
LNG continues to make progress on several
fronts. The ordering boom advances, there
is slow but steady progress in coastal
development as a prelude to the introduction
of LNG bunkering tankers and dual-fuel engine
applications are keeping the orderbooks and
rivalry at an intense level between Wärtsilä and
MAN Diesel & Turbo.
Currently the newbuilding order backlog
stands at a record level of 136 LNG vessels and
the ordering spree is underlined by respective
orderbook figures of 121 and 82 for one and two
years ago. Long lead delivery times now stretch
into 2018 but some now query the wisdom of so
many vessels being ordered when demand may
not match supply.
Generally teams of shipbuilders, owners
and designers along with energy majors work
closely to ensure they get the most appropriately
designed vessels to suit their purpose and serve
the new terminals under construction or being
upgraded. However such is the pressure on berth
space that many orders have to be provisionally
agreed well in advance in the bidding process for
long term contracts.
With a newbuilding recovery underway,
berths for all vessel types have rapidly filled to
their strongest position since the end of the boom
in 2008. Options for LNG carriers are numerous
but the first sign of nervousness is beginning to
impact in the market with these optional slots the
first casualties. For the moment these options are
only at the serious consideration stage but will
occur it seems at some stage.
A few newbuildings delivered on time are
having to work spot business at lower rates until
liquefaction plants are finally commissioned or
seriously consider idling in designated weather-
friendly environments. One thing owners will
want to avoid is a rerun of the 1980s when many
LNG carriers were forced into idleness due to
recession and serious delays in commissioning
of new plants.
The change in energy circumstances today
however means history is unlikely to repeat itself.
Certainly the LNG orderbook is not finished yet
but the market will be hoping for more caution
in new contracting or market stability may be
adversely affected.
In the past year significant events have
occurred. Noticeable is the commissioning of,
and potential orders for, floating storage and
regasification (FSRU) units. Several projects are
out to tender with Golar LNG and Shell at the
forefront in bids. With a newbuilding recovery
underway, In the case of Golar LNG, the company
recently completed a front end engineering and
design feasibility study into converting one of its
ageing LNG carriers into an FSRU role. A contract
on employment for this FSRU is expected by the
end of June after which any conversion would
occupy 30 months with six months of trials
thereafter before formal commissioning.
FSRUs are important for employment
of LNG carriers where even two can give
sustainable employment for ten of the
commercially trading vessels. USA and West
Africa are targets for development especially
with the former developing shale gas export
potential in the next decade.
Golar LNG – a division within the John
Fredriksen empire – took delivery of the
170,000m3 FSRU Golar Igloo, which has a five-
year charter to Kuwait National Petroleum Co
on a seasonal basis. The slightly smaller FSRU
Golar Eskimo is due to be delivered at the end of
2014 and has a ten-year charter commitment
to Jordan. An option has been exercised to
add regasification facilities to Golar Tundra
which is due for delivery in November 2015.
All three vessels have the flexibility to switch to
conventional LNG trading and are products from
Samsung Heavy Industries.
FSRUs are seen as an escape route for heavily
oversubscribed conventional LNG tonnage due
Orderbooks continue to grow, but the market is proving more difficult than expected
by Barry Luthwaite
Trips and slips in the dash for gas
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
040
Mar
an G
as M
ariti
me
Inc.
Oth
ers
Mis
tsui
O.S
.K.
Gol
ar L
NG
Gas
log
LNG
Ser
vice
s
Chi
na S
hpg.
Gro
up/M
OL
Nig
eria
LN
G L
td
Teek
ay L
NG
Par
tner
s
No Liquid Capacity
Sov
com
flot
Hoe
gh, L
ief
BW
Gas
Che
vron
Shp
ping
Co.
Car
diff
Mar
ine
Dyn
acom
Pet
rona
s Ta
nker
s
Chi
na S
hpg.
Gro
up
Eve
rgas
17 10 9 7 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
LNG CARRIERS ON ORDER BY SHIPOWNER – APRIL 2014
28 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
gas carriers
for delivery in the next two years. Eighteen
such newbuilding contracts are currently
without employment and may be forced into
unsatisfactory spot business or risk cancellation.
By contrast, ten FSRUs are now on order
with others in the pipeline awaiting the outcome
of successful charter and project negotiations.
The popular size of around 160-170,000m3
capacity was shattered at the start of this
year by the decision of Mitsui OSK to select
DSME to construct the world’s largest FSRU
offering 263,000m3 of capacity. Delivery is set
for September 2016 and the ship will take up
employment near Montevideo under operation
for a GDF Suez/Marubeni joint venture.
Within such a bullish market owners
have looked for niche capacity areas and it
is noticeable how, over the last few months,
China is building up its own LNG coastal fleet
to serve industrial and domestic distribution
demand. A year ago, China launched its
coastal fleet plans with three 28,000-
30,000m3 Chinese designs divided equally
between Cosco Dalian, Jiangnan Shipyard,
and Ningbo Xinle.
This trio of builders hitherto had little
or no experience of LNG construction thus
presenting a new challenge and learning
curve which may eventually attract
export business. All will use Type C tank
containment systems and incorporate dual-
fuel diesel-electric propulsion. Options for
more may be exercised.
The ordering trend was recently taken a
stage further with a new order placed for one
14,000m3 LNG carrier to be built by Qidong
Fengshun Ship Heavy Industry. Demand for
this coastal size range will give a boost to
Wärtsilä’s RT-flex50DF series where a five
cylinder version has been specified for the
new order. Low pressure, dual fuel technology
was unveiled by Wärtsilä in November 2013
for two stroke engines and described in the
business as a “game changer”.
Capital expenditure and operating
expenditure offer significant advantages and
the 50DF series is already compliant with Tier
III emission legislation without resorting to
any exhaust gas cleaning systems. With
costs paramount for owners, studies reveal
that the new engine may be applied to all
vessel types and, in the case of the prototype
order, will yield expenditure savings of
15-20 per cent over comparable vessels
today. It also offers owners a new choice
of propulsion that will enable operation on
100 per cent gas at all loads, dramatically
reducing operational costs.
The proud owner is Zhejiang based Huaxing
Shipping Co, which is already involved in safe
transportation of LNG. Delivery is set for
August 2015. The two-stroke development
from the DF family will enhance the
popularity of dual-fuel application for which
over 1,000 four-stroke units have been sold
by Wärtsilä for land and marine applications.
More orders for two-stroke 50DF models are
expected as owners are presented with a new
choice of cost savings against key rival MAN
Diesel & Turbo.
The coastal transport concept was taken a
stage further by Indonesia with the signing
in principle of a contract with Daehan, South
Korea, for construction of ten 10,000m3
LNG carriers. South Korea dominates LNG
construction but this is the first time coastal
tonnage has been tackled. Daehan is more
closely associated with large bulk carrier
construction and this order represents a
debut in the gas sector.
The Indonesian coastal gas fleet has been
on the drawing board as a project for some
years with the ten-vessel order valued at
US$502 million. Construction will be shared
by a consortium also including KG Cranes
and GSH which, together with Daehan, are
members of a manufacturing co-operative
known as Daebul Industrial Complex. The
owner/operator is Bimantura and the project
has been devised to replace expensive oil with
gas for industrial and domestic use.
Wärtsilä will certainly have its eye on
provision of the slow speed RT-flex50DF
engine series. Although the pace is still
slow; because of infrastructure restrictions
the market is now beginning to see
significant developments for the use of LNG
in maritime transport.
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine
Engineering (DSME) signed a letter of intent
with three owners for the 15 remaining
170,000m3 icebreaking LNG carriers designed
for the Yamal LNG project. The planned start
up is in 2017 using the Northern Sea Route
(NSR) when navigable to Dalian and beyond.
Some question whether the project will reach
full fruition but so far a strict time schedule
for the orders has been met.
The prototype was confirmed in January
this year by Sovcomflot at an estimated
US$316 million and DSME has had the other
15 berths reserved for some months. The
remaining vessels will be taken by Teekay
LNG (6), Mitsui OSK (4) and an additional
five units by Sovcomflot. Charters with rolling
options for up to 26 years of employment
come with the orders but the vessels’ huge
cost may require a longer period to clear
financial subjects. On current projects the
contract agreements were due to be finalised
in April, as this issue went to press, and the
charters in May.
Rasheed was the last Q-max 267,335m3
LNG carrier delivered into the Nakilat fleet in
2010 and has now been officially nominated
as the first LNG carrier to be converted from
twin 7S70ME-C propulsion units to twin
electronically controlled gas injection ME-GI
engines enabling burning of LNG as an
alternative fuel choice. Collaboration between
MAN Diesel & Turbo and the Nakilat-Keppel
Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) is already
underway in preparation for the conversion
work. This will take place in April 2015 when
special survey becomes due.
Others will be watching this pilot project
especially in respect of operational savings
but it is unlikely to start a trend; Nakilat
has made it clear this is a one-off project for
the time being. The key to future retrofitting
lies with the charterer who will pay for fuel
consumption but Nakilat will closely evaluate
results soon after redelivery and has not ruled
out similar treatment on other fleet members
depending on charterer acceptance.
Understandably both engine builder and
shipowner are keeping cards close to their
chests but best estimates put the cost of
conversion at between US$15-20 million. The
14-vessel Nakilat Q-Max fleet was ordered
before the main financial crash and thus
specified low speed diesel engines. Since
then, a revolution in gas engines has occurred,
dramatically cutting operating costs.
These savings must be weighed against
the high cost of the conversion however. The
whole Q-Ship fleet numbers 45 vessels so, if
retrofitting is a success, lucrative business
beckons for MAN Diesel & Turbo. MP
LNG CARRIERS ON ORDER BY COUNTRY OF SHIPBUILDER
2014 2015 2016 2017 Total
Expected delivery year no m3 no m3 no m3 no m3 no m3
China 1 170,000 13 592,500 6 857,000 5 809,000 25 2,428,500
Japan 2 298,400 3 473,000 5 803,200 4 678,000 14 2,252,600
Korea (South) 35 5,647,560 28 4,608,000 23 3,996,200 11 1,849,400 97 16,101,160
Total 38 6,115,960 44 5,673,500 34 5,656,400 20 3,336,400 136 20,782,260
OFFSHORE DESIGN FOR YOUR LNGC, FSRU AND LNG FPSO
No vibrations due to elimination of unbalanced forces and moments caused by oscillating masses
Simple compressor system for easy operation, maintenance and control
Extremely flexible solution for a wide range of discharge pressures (6 to 350 bar / 87 to 5’070 psi) and flows
Fuel gas system for ME-GI with various reliquefaction options
Unique piston sealing technology for maximum reliability and availability
→ www.recip.com/laby-gi
LNG BOG . BaLaNced
Laby®-GI
YOUR BENEFIt: LOwESt LIFE CYCLE COStS
D iesel propulsion in LNG carriers was
pioneered in 1972 by the 29,000m3
Venator with an installation based on a
dual-fuel burning Sulzer 7RNMD 90 low speed
two-stroke engine. Steam turbines shrugged
off this short-lived challenge to their traditional
dominance of the sector, however, and retained
total supremacy in the LNGC propulsion market
for another 30 years.
The introduction of significantly larger
carriers than before – with cargo capacities
up to double the classic 125,000m3 size –
stimulated interest in other propulsion systems
and eventually stifled steam’s hegemony. Dual-
fuel medium speed engines arranged in electric
power stations and low speed heavy fuel oil-
burning diesel engines largely ousted the turbine
from the newbuilding lists. A more recent
challenge was presented by dual-fuel low speed
engines designed to burn the cargo boil-off gas.
A new generation of larger LNG carriers
in the past decade also attracted the interest
of the major gas turbine suppliers GE Marine
and Rolls-Royce, whose power-dense aero-
derived designs promised significant benefits,
particularly in conjunction with electric drives.
Compactness and machinery layout flexibility
could be exploited to enhance cargo carrying
capacity within given ship dimensions.
Excellent emissions characteristics were also
cited, along with low weight and volume; high
reliability; reduced installation costs; freely-
located plant; and low noise and vibration.
Rolls-Royce vigorously marketed its proposals
over several years after joint studies with Shell
Shipping Technology on various propulsion
options for LNGCs. A dual-fuel gas turbine-
electric system for larger ships, particularly those
over 200,000m3 capacity, featured two gas turbine
gensets in a father-and-son configuration.
The larger genset was based on the (then)
new Rolls-Royce MT30 turbine, flat rated at
36MW, and the smaller set on the group’s 501
turbine, rated at 5,000kW. The MT30 set would
provide all power for seagoing service, while the
501 supplied power for cargo pumping and port
duties; in addition, the smaller set provided a
get-home facility in the event of non-availability
of the main genset. A diesel-driven harbour
genset was rated at around 1,500kW.
The gas turbine gensets would be supplied
as packaged units and located in a housing at
main deck level aft of the accommodation; the
housing would be similar in dimensions to the
boiler room casing of contemporary steam-
powered LNGCs.
Such an arrangement eased access for
removing gas turbines for maintenance and
facilitated short and efficient intake and
exhaust trunkings. It also contributed to a
short engineroom which, together with the low
weight of the gas turbine plant, allowed the aft
hull form to be optimised and the cargo volume
maximised within given hull dimensions.
A reduced engineroom length was one of the
merits of an electric rather than a direct-drive
system. A short machinery room was further
fostered by installing the electrical gear and
controls for the main propulsion motors in the
top of the engineroom, with the geared motors
arranged at the bottom.
Primary fuel for the turbines would be cargo
boil-off gas supplemented by vaporised LNG as
required. Liquid fuel of marine gas oil quality
would be carried as a secondary emergency fuel
and for transits to and from drydock when gas
was not available.
Tapping years of experience with Rolls-Royce
dual-fuelled gas turbines in the oil and gas
A strong environment-led case for dual-fuel gas turbine-based propulsion plant can now be made
by Doug Woodyard
Gas turbines renew challenge for power
gas carriers
Compact LNGC propulsion configurations proposed by Rolls-Royce were based on its MT30 aero-derived gas turbine
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 31www.mpropulsion.com
industry, the dual-fuel MT30 would apply fuel
system hardware derived from the industrial
Trent engine. Some 24 dual-passage injectors
(one for diesel oil, the other for gas) would
supply both fuels to the combustion chamber.
Using a dual-passage injector allows both
fuels to be burned simultaneously in the chamber,
enabling the turbine to maintain power output
while changing fuels or burning a mixture of gas
and liquid fuels. The engine’s electronic controller
governs the fuel admitted via metering valves,
underwriting safe operation in all fuelling modes.
A number of MT30 gas turbine-based
propulsion systems were proposed for LNGCs
of between 145,000m3 and 250,000m3 capacity.
The power density offered the potential to
reduce engineroom length by approximately
19m compared with a steam turbine plant of
equivalent output. The machinery space saving
on a typical LNGC thus enabled the cargo-
carrying capacity to be increased by up to 12 per
cent, Rolls-Royce reported.
An electric drive further helped to optimise
both the cargo area layout and the machinery
system design. Additionally, the very lightweight
power generating plant could be located aft
on the quarterdeck behind the superstructure,
leaving only electrical distribution equipment
and propulsion motors enclosed in the hull below.
Proposals included a combined gas turbine
and steam turbine electric (COGES) propulsion
system featuring a dual-fuel MT30 set arranged
primarily to burn cargo boil-off gas delivered at a
pressure of around 40 bar. A waste heat recovery
steam generator incorporated in the exhaust
stack of the gas turbine supplies a steam turbo-
alternator set which supplements the electrical
output of the main genset. System efficiencies
in excess of 50 per cent were claimed.
Both COGES and simple-cycle gas turbine
electric propulsion concepts were highly flexible
in terms of machinery layout, ease of access for
maintenance and simplified installation, Rolls-
Royce asserted. Furthermore, the low noise
and vibration characteristics of the gas turbine
allowed the machinery to be located next to the
superstructure and accommodation.
US rival GE Marine also promoted the merits
of a number of dual-fuel gas turbine-based
systems in either electric or mechanical drive
arrangements for LNGC propulsion, including
combined-cycle configurations with waste heat
recovery steam turbines. Long experience with
aero-derived gas turbines serving warships as
well as cruise vessels and fast ferries supported
GE Marine’s confidence in solutions based on its
successful LM2500 and LM2500+ series.
Similar benefits in plant layout flexibility
and enhanced cargo capacity to the Rolls-Royce
solutions were advanced by GE Marine. Further
operational benefits – higher manoeuvrability
and propulsion efficiency – were also promised
by adopting an electric podded propulsor
instead of a conventional propeller system and
optimising the aftbody of the hull.
Despite extensive and sustained promotional
campaigns, however, neither GE Marine
nor Rolls-Royce succeeded in breaking into
the market. The US group last year revived
its challenge with an LNGC design jointly
developed with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co
and Lloyd’s Register.
“We are excited to team up with one of
China’s largest shipyards and a leading maritime
classification agency on this conceptual design,”
said GE Marine’s vice president of marine
operations Brien Bolsinger. “By employing GE
gas turbines, this LNGC design will address
increasingly stringent worldwide environmental
regulations, while providing operators with
reduced life-cycle costs.”
The initial design envisages a COGES system
incorporating a 25MW gas turbine, a steam
turbine-generator set and two dual-fuel diesel
gensets for low power operations and back-up.
Flexibility in prime mover configurations is
facilitated, however, allowing a total installed
power of 50MW if required.
The gas turbines can be equipped with a GE
Dry Low Emissions (DLE) or single annular
combustion system, both of which can meet IMO
Tier III and US EPA Tier 4 NOx requirements
with no exhaust treatment and no methane slip.
Lloyd’s Register last year completed a
preliminary hazard identification study – the
first in a planned series – on the COGES-
powered LNG carrier. The study examined the
carrier’s hazardous areas, structural integrity,
safe separation, pipe routeing and ventilation.
“The studies will help mature the design
and minimise risk for the carrier system,”
explained Lloyd’s Register’s director of business
development and innovation, Nicholas Brown.
The classification society will contribute a
series of risk assessment studies during design
development, leading to a safety case document
that it said will meet or exceed the most onerous
bidding qualification requirements of oil majors
for new technologies for shipping for LNG projects.
Among the benefits of its gas turbine-based
propulsion system for LNGCs, GE Marine cites:
• NOx emissions are inherently low compared
with traditional diesel engines; by last
December, GE had manufactured 835 of its
DLE systems for its aero-derived gas turbines
with an aggregate operating time of almost 18
million hours;
• Fuel flexibility is increasingly appreciated
by operators valuing dual-fuel capabilities
for service in emission control areas; GE gas
turbines can operate on a range of fuels,
including marine gas oil, biodiesel, bio-synthetic
paraffinic kerosene blends and natural gas;
• Lower maintenance costs: even with turbines
operating at full power all the time, combustor
and hot section repair intervals can stretch to
25,000 hours when burning natural gas;
• High availability is fostered by easy maintenance
and scheduled inspections. When engine overhaul
is required, the gas turbine can be changed-out in
24 hours and replaced with a spare unit;
• Maximum reliability and component life
in the marine gas turbines are promoted
by incorporating the latest aircraft engine
design technologies, quality requirements and
corrosion-resistant materials. MP
GE Marine’s LM2500 series gas turbines have a long pedigree in naval and
commercial ship propulsion
GROMEX supplies piston rings from GOETZE, because we are sure your engines work better with quality products from the world market leader.
Piston ring tools
O-rings
Sets of gaskets
Quality „Made inGermany“ for morethan 35 years
W W W.GRO ME X .DE
Seal it up!
Anzeigen_Marine Propulsion_4.indd 1 05.02.14 12:39
We cannot rule the waves, but we do control our foundry and machining facilities. For more than 85 years and 3 generations our company has provided the marine propulsion industry with high integrity castings in Nickel Aluminium Bronze.
Our success is built on delicate blending of traditional foundry practice with leading edge technology. Copperstorm® is a developed product philosophy enabling us to efficiently create the highest quality castings from your designs.
We strive to stay in front, our products do the driving.
Stormy Waters
Phone +47 71 20 11 00 - Molde Norway - [email protected] - www.oshaug.no
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 33www.mpropulsion.com
H yundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has
continued to demonstrate its ability
to increase its market share, now
claiming 15 per cent of the global market for its
Shipbuilding Division. That is an impressive
figure for a yard that this year marks the 40th
anniversary of its first deliveries and which
was set up by a construction company with
no experience of shipbuilding.
Output passed the 10 million dwt in 1984
and this figure was doubled just four years
later. By 1997, deliveries reached 50 million
dwt, again doubling by 2005. To date, in
excess of 1,800 ships have been supplied to
over 260 owners and operators worldwide.
HHI now operates in three main locations
at Ulsan, Gunsam and Samho. The Ulsan
shipyard at Mipo Bay, covers an area of
approximately 1,800 acres stretching along
4km of coastline. Of this area, nearly 400
acres are occupied by workshops. The Ulsan
yard is equipped to build a wide range of
ships and has nine dry docks served by six
high capacity cranes.
HHI has an extensive track record of
building LNG carriers, including vessels of up
to 177,300m3 capacity, building a customer
portfolio that includes major operators such
as Mitsui and BP. It is also the only South
Korean builder that can supply Moss type
LNG carriers, having built 15 vessels of this
design since 1994. HHI has recently taken an
order for a further four 150,000m3 carriers
for Petronas, Malaysia’s national oil company,
with the first scheduled for delivery in 2016.
These vessels will have four tanks and a
double hull construction.
At its Ulsan yard, LNG carrier construction
takes place in Docks 1 and 8, the former being
390m long, 80m wide and having the services
of two high capacity Goliath cranes. Dock 3
is the largest in the shipyard and capable of
being used to build vessels of up to 1million
dwt. At 672m by 92m, it can cater for a
range of ship types, as too can other docks at
the yard, including VLCCs, naval ships and
special purpose vessels.
HHI’s Gunsan Shipyard, built in 2008,
has an equally impressive range of facilities
including a 1.3 million dwt drydock serviced
by a 1,650 tonne crane. It was designed to
accommodate VVLCs and the facility was
fully booked for production capacity in its
first year of operation. But Gunsan, like other
HHI yards, is also used for other vessels,
including LNG carriers.
HHI can also build LNG carriers at its
Samho shipyard, in the south-west of the
Korea, which became part of the HHI group
in 1999. Here, its facilities include both dry
docks and an on-land building berth, which
was used for an LNG newbuilding for the first
time last year. In fact, it was the first time
this technique had been used anywhere in
the world for such a ship.
The construction principle used is to
assemble the basic hull, LNG tanks and
propulsion system on land before loading
it onto a floating dock by a system of
hydraulic skidding. Hyundai Samho has
used this system previously for around
50 other vessels but LNG carriers weigh
approximately 30 per cent more than other
equivalent size vessels, which made this
application of the technique noteworthy.
HHI stated that this method of construction
is more efficient and cost-effective than
conventional methods.
The vessel, for Golar of Norway, was
ordered in 2012 and will be delivered in July
this year. With a capacity of 162,000m3, it
measures 289m in length, 45m in width and
26m in depth. Following this first success,
HHI plans to build between 10 and 12 further
vessels in this way, orders for which have
already been secured.
HHI scored another world first in February
when it named a newbuilding LNG floating
storage regasification unit (LNG FSRU). It is
the first of four, ordered at HHI’s Ulsan yard
by Höegh LNG, with two more following this
year and the fourth in March 2015.
LNG FSRU are designed to receive LNG
from LNG carriers and have a regasification
system to deliver it to shore as gas. FSRUs
cost half as much as an onshore LNG
terminal and take a year less to complete,
HHI said. They have dual-fuel propulsion
systems so are also mobile and can be
located wherever needed.
This first unit has been chartered for 10
years to Klaipedos Nafta and will be located
in Lithuania’s Port of Klaipeda.
The 294m vessel has a volume of
170,000m3 with storage capacity for 70,000
tonnes of chilled natural gas. Lithuania’s
president Dalia Grybauskaité named the
ship Independence, chosen “to reflect our
government’s strong will toward energy
independence,” she said.
Lee Jai-seong, chairman & CEO of HHI,
looked beyond this delivery to wider LNG
opportunities. “We are pleased that the LNG
FSRU will play a critical role in supplying
LNG in Lithuania,” he said, “and we hope
to keep up the close cooperation with
Lithuania for the construction of energy
infrastructure.” MP
South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries – the world’s largest shipbuilder – has a strong focus on LNG work
HHI builds its LNG reputation
yard profile
HHI has delivered the first newbuilding FSRU, Independence, to Höegh LNG for operation in Lithuania (credit: Höegh LNG)
34 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
• • •
KET Marine International B.V. KET Marine Asia Pte Ltd.Koperslagerij 23 T +31(0)168 328 550 18 Boon Lay Way #10-118 T +65 679 331 3194762 AR Zevenbergen E [email protected] Tradehub 21, Singapore 609966 E [email protected] Netherlands I www.ketmarine.nl Singapore I www.ketmarine.com
KET Marine, separates the best from the rest.
KET MARINESEPARATORS SINCE 1985
Speak to the marine industry worldwide!
Offi ces in: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Dubai, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, and St. Louis
Inventory Locator Service,® LLC • Email: [email protected] • www.ILSmart.com/marine
Broadcast from: Essex, United KingdomWanted: (Fuel Injection Equipment - All)MAIN ENGINE MAK 6M 282, S/No: 29019, 850 RPM3.2260A NOZZLES ELEMENTS 6 Pcs Broadcast from: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Wanted: (Pumps)Looking for a Worthington Pump Model 5LRV-13 Vertical Pump. As this pump is no longer made, looking for a used pump. Does not need to be in full operational condition if it could be reconditioned for temporary use.
Broadcast from: Hebei Province, ChinaFor Sale: (Engine Spares - All)FOR SALE:MODEL:B&W 6L20/27CRANK SHAFT 1PC SECOND IN GOOD CONDITIONOur part is good quality with low price.
Broadcast from: Istanbul, TurkeyFor Sale: (Hydraulic Equipment)MARFLEX HYDRAULIC DIESEL POWER UNIT, TYPE DHP 50SERIAL NO:9106822502
Broadcast from: Piraeus, GreeceWanted: (Engines,Diesel Pts)FOR YANMAR 6N18AL-UVWE ARE LOOKING FOR CONNECTING RODS 146673-23021 3 PCS Broadcast from: Singapore
Wanted: (Engine Spares - Crankshafts)Engine type: MAK 8M552AK1) CRANK-SHAFT Standard size 1 pc
With one mouse click, you can send messages like those above to ILS users, worldwide. Ship operators broadcast messages for emergency support or to locate hard-to-fi nd parts. Marine suppliers advertise special pricing or highlight new inventory. ILS is available 24/7, so you won’t miss an opportunity to make a sale anywhere, anytime.
ILS offers a simple and effi cient way to:• search for a targeted market of uyers and sellers • discover a company’s capabilities in as online profi le• advertise to marine buyers as they are buying
Contact us to qualify for a free trial or to learn how we can help your business.
MarinePropulsion_April.indd 1 4/8/2014 12:55:53 PM
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 35www.mpropulsion.com
T wo low speed diesel engines in an LNG
carrier are to become the first to be
converted for gas fuelling in a project
that could lead to further conversions.
Qatari LNG carrier Nakilat and the country’s
LNG producers Qatargas and RasGas have agreed
with engine manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo
to convert the original ME-type engines on one
of Nakilat’s Q-Max vessels into ME-GI (M-type
electronically controlled, gas injection) versions.
These can use LNG as an alternative to heavy fuel
oil (HFO). The ship and its sisters are unusual
among LNG carriers in that they do not use boil-
off gas for propulsion. Instead they reliquefy it, to
maintain the cargo’s volume and value.
Nakilat’s announcement followed several
years of planning, first revealed publicly at the
Gastech 2012 conference. At the conference,
Alaa Abu Jbara, Qatargas chief operating officer
responsible for commercial and shipping, spoke
of the company’s intention to use LNG as fuel,
citing emissions benefits.
In its statement in January Nakilat echoed
those remarks, saying that the project reinforces
Qatar’s commitment toward the environment, as
it will reduce the ship’s exhaust gas emissions.
It also said that the engines would burn more
cleanly in their new configuration, which had
the potential to increase mean time between
maintenance periods.
The statement also referred to flexibility
of fuel supply, which Nakilat said would
help it react to market changes and reduce
bunkering activities, which would in turn reduce
operational risks. But it did not mention cost
benefits. These must be a factor, given the rise in
bunker prices since the original decision to install
diesel engines in 2004. At that time, MAN Diesel
& Turbo hailed the choice as offering significant
cost benefits compared with a traditional steam
turbine propulsion plant.
The engine manufacturer based its forecast
on a comparison of operating costs for a steam
turbine installation and a low speed diesel
arrangement. This showed that the diesel
installation had higher operating costs. However,
once the value of the LNG cargo that would
have been lost through boil-off was taken into
account, the economic benefit was clearly in
favour of the diesel option. But the calculation
was based on a fuel cost of US$150 per tonne
and an LNG selling price of US$4 per Mbtu.
With HFO now costing at least four times as
much, the economic argument is not so clear,
even though LNG values have risen equally
steeply in the intervening decade.
The conversion will be carried out by Nakilat-
Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-Kom) at its Erhama
Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard facilities in Qatar’s
Port of Ras Laffan. A key part of the project has
been subcontracted by MAN Diesel & Turbo to the
German company TGE Marine Gas Engineering,
which provides engineering services for the design
and supply of gas carriers and offshore units,
mostly to shipyards that build gas carriers.
For the Q-Max conversion, it will design
and supply the LNG fuel gas package for the
converted engines. This includes a modular
pre-fabricated fuel gas skid, which is scheduled
for delivery in the first quarter of 2015. In
developing its contribution to the work, TGE
Marine investigated the design of the high
pressure fuel gas supply system with its
partner ACD, a US company that specialises in
cryogenic pumps. The two companies made a
complete dynamic simulation of the system that
considered all load scenarios, TGE Marine said.
In a statement, TGE Marine’s chief executive,
Manfred Küver, described the project as a
positive indicator. “This project is a signal for
the market that the MAN two-stroke ME-GI
solution is one of the most economic approaches
for a modern LNG carrier design.”
There are 14 ships in Nakilat’s Q-Max fleet
of 266,000m3 vessels. At the time of writing
in late February the one that will be converted
had not been identified. If the conversion yields
its expected benefits, further ships may also be
converted. There is no indication of when or how
that assessment will be made, but Nakilat has said
that it has a high level of confidence in the safety
and reliability of the propulsion system, adding
that the modification will meet all currently
known and planned global emissions regulations.
Those additional ships could include the
rest of the Q-Max vessels but may extend to
at least some of the 31 smaller Q-Flex ships of
216,000m3 capacity. Nakilat owns 11 of these
and shares control of the other 20.
According to Marine Propulsion’s sister
publication LNG World Shipping, the work is
expected to take MAN Diesel & Turbo engineers
40 days to complete at a cost of US$15-20 million.
Assessing the payback time will not be easy, the
journal suggested in an editorial comment, due
in part to the high prices Qatar is obtaining for its
gas and to the awaited performance data from the
conversion. But gas engine technology has made
great strides in recent years, it added, which will
have contributed to the decision now to press
ahead with this pilot engine conversion. MP
First gas-fuelled engine conversion to go ahead
repair & maintenance
Nakilat’s N-Kom yard, where the engine conversion will take place (credit: N-Kom)
36 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
repair & maintenance
Oman to boost LNG repair skills
LNG carrier repairs will be a focus for Oman Drydock Co (ODC), according to its marketing director Johnny Woo. “We see real potential for growth, particularly in becoming a centre of excellence for the repair of LNG carriers,” Mr Woo said.
Reviewing the yard’s workload in 2013, during which it had docked or repaired a record 75 ships, he said that LNG and LPG ships had been among that number. Now it plans to invest in new facilities, including developments in its cryogenic shop, so that it can handle up to four LNG carriers at once.
As a result of the investment, the yard hopes to become a specialist in LNG repair technology, including such aspects as cargo containment systems and cryogenic safety valves. These capabilities are supported by a
licence that ODC has recently obtained from Gaztransport et Technigaz (GTT) of France, which specialises in LNG cargo containment systems.
This focus on LNG is also expected to benefit from expertise provided by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), which has been a partner in the yard since its inception and which established an Oman subsidiary in 2008, and its engineering and procurement arm, DSEC. DSME has long experience of building LNG and LPG carriers.
“Our partnership with DSME gives us tremendous experience and technical expertise as it provides 30 highly experienced senior managers, including our chief executive Yong Duk Park, to help run the shipyard,” Mr Woo said.
Damen Shiprepair Brest extends its LNG carrier bookingsDamen Shiprepair Brest is building a growing
reference list for LNG carrier repairs, which
now total eight following a pair of bookings
from Algeria’s Hyproc Shipping Co.
At the time of writing, in early March, the
yard was working on the 126,130m3 Mourad
Didouche, which was built in 1980. Its visit
overlapped with that of another vessel from
Hyproc SC’s eight-strong LNG fleet, Bachir
Chihani. Both are membrane tankers. The
former has a capacity of 126,130m3 and a
deadweight of 83,228. The latter is listed as
holding 129,700 with a deadweight of 70,328.
Details of the work undertaken on the ships
have not been revealed but when Bachir Chihani
arrived, the yard described the work scope as
extensive, adding that it would require almost
30,000 man-hours of work over a period of
about a month. Jos Goris, managing director
of Damen Shiprepair Brest, said that the vessel
ensured the continuation of its LNG activities
with Hyproc SC, with which it has conducted
previous business.
The yard’s gas shiprepair work is set to
continue. “We hope to have some more LNG
carriers in the yard over the next couple of
months,” Mr Goris told Marine Propulsion in
March, despite what he views as a fiercely
competitive environment for this type of work.
At the time of Bachir Chihani’s arrival, he had
praised the yard’s workforce for its LNG skills
and experience, saying that these, together
with efficiency improvements and its award
in November of an ISO 9001:2008 quality and
safety management certificate, had helped to
win the business.
Those skilled staff joined the Damen
group of yards when it acquired the former
Sobrena shiprepair business in March
2012 to create Damen Shiprepair Brest.
Speaking at the time, René Berkvens, chief
executive of Damen Shipyards, welcomed
the experience that Sobrena’s workforce
brought to the group, especially when it
came to LNG tankers. MP
Oman Drydock Co plans to increase its LNG repair capabilities (credit: ODC)
LPGC is ASRY’s 4,000th ship
Mourad Didouche and Bachir Chihani extended Damen Shiprepair Brest’s LNG carrier work (credit: Damen Shiprepair Brest)
Cargo pumps were among the items overhauled
when the 49,880 dwt LPG carrier Gas Al-Gurain
visited the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard
(ASRY) in Bahrain towards the end of last year.
It was the 4,000th ship to visit the yard, which
has been in operation since 1977 – longer than
any yard in the Arabian Gulf, ASRY said. The
ship is owned by Kuwait Oil Tanker Co (KOTC),
one of ASRY’s longest standing customers.
A yard spokesman told Marine Propulsion
that the ship benefited from attention to a wide
range of systems and steelwork, including stern
tube repairs, main engine and turbocharger
overhauls and servicing and calibration for all
electronic equipment. Steelwork on the hull and
superstructure was treated and the water ballast
tanks were blasted and painted, while many
other items received routine maintenance.
ASRY News, the yard’s newsletter, predicted
continued success for the yard in its issue
for the first quarter of 2014. “With more
expansions planned in the five-year strategy,
another 4,000 ship repairs at ASRY seem more
than likely,” it said.
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 37www.mpropulsion.com
Original Parts andOriginal Service. Set yourself up tosucceed.
No one can tell you if non-ABB parts are on spec for your turbocharger and no one canmaintain it as effectively as we can because no one knows like we do. That’s our promisefor every ABB turbocharging solution that you own: We use what we know from all ourother applications and your operations so that you get the most out of your applicationand make a positive difference to your bottom line. Get what serves you best: Get Original.www.abb.com/turbocharging
ABBTC_ADL2HP_OPOS_W190H130_MP 16.04.14 10:32 Seite 1
Quality from A... to Zephyr
O.E.M. spares. Since 1974.www.zephyrtrading.com
Via Valdilocchi, 2 - 19126 La Spezia (Italy) Tel. +39.0187.502341 - Fax +39.0187.503335 - [email protected]
Quality First.
AuthorizedWorldwideDistributor of Daros Piston Rings
013-13-Mezza pag Zephyr 2013:Layout 1 18-01-2013 15:15 Pagina 1
38 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
Worldwide support
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 39www.mpropulsion.com
environment
MHI hails LNG carrier’s environmental conceptMitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has
conferred one of its Best Innovation 2013
awards on the organisation’s Sayaendo LNG
carrier project, which it has described as “a
leading force in the movement to develop
energy-saving eco ships offering enhanced
environmental performance.”
The design uses MHI’s ultra steam
turbine (UST) plant, which achieves higher
thermal efficiency through the effective use
of thermal energy by reheating steam. Other
design features are said to reduce fuel
consumption by 20 per cent compared with
existing designs. These include a peapod-
shaped continuous cover for the four Moss
spherical tanks, which will improve the
vessel’s aerodynamics.
An article in the MHI publication Technical
Review described another of the design’s
environmental benefits, the new low-load
gas mode (NLLGM). This is said to minimise
fuel gas consumption at low load. It is an
improvement on the established low-load
gas mode (LLGM), which allows gas-only
combustion while manoeuvring by managing
the transition between gas-only and dual-fuel
operation. That however, “constantly uses
more gas fuel than necessary to support the
load required by the turbine plant,” the article
reported. The NLLGM achieves the same
swift transition but does not use more boil-off
cargo gas than necessary for combustion.
Seven of the ships have been ordered
so far and the first is due for delivery during
the 2014-15 fiscal year, which ends on
31 March 2015. This is one of two jointly
ordered by Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and
Osaka Gas Co.
The 288m ships will each carry
153,000m3 of LNG and have a deadweight
of 75,000 tonnes. MHI expects there to be
continuing demand for the ships, thanks
to the suspension of operation of Japan’s
nuclear power plants and expanded shale
gas production in the USA.
MHI’s Sayaendo concept is shaped to reduce air resistance over its Moss-type LNG tanks (credit: MHI)
The Cameron LNG project in Louisiana, USA,
has been given a conditional go-ahead to
export gas to more countries than are covered
by its existing approvals. The conditions
include meeting the requirements of an
environmental impact assessment that is being
carried out by the independent Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC).
In mid February the US Department of
Energy gave its conditional non-Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) approval which, once the
conditions are met, will give the project’s
partners authority to export to countries that
do not have FTAs with the USA. Currently, 20
countries have FTAs and the project has had
approval to deal with these since January 2012.
One of the partners, GDF Suez, said
in a statement that completion of the
environmental impact assessment by FERC
was expected within weeks, but did not
give details of the requirements that the
assessment might impose.
In January, however, FERC had issued a
draft impact statement which said that the
project would have some harmful effects on
the environment, but that the impact would
not be significant if Cameron adopted the
recommended mitigation measures.
“We conclude that construction and
operation of the Cameron Liquefaction
Project would result in mostly temporary
and short-term environmental impacts,”
FERC said. “However, the project would
result in permanent impacts on wetlands,
forests, pine plantations, agricultural lands,
migratory birds, and essential fish habitat,
and long-term environmental impacts on
some species.”
According to the Law360 online news
service, FERC recommended that Cameron
institute a range of mitigation measures that
it had already proposed to address those
permanent changes. The commission also said
that an environmental inspection programme
would be implemented, to ensure compliance
with all mitigation measures, conditions, and
other stipulations included in permits from
other federal, state and local agencies.
GDF Suez entered into a joint venture
agreement with Sempra Energy, Japan LNG
Investment (a joint venture entity formed
by subsidiaries of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki
Kaisha and Mitsubishi Corp) and Mitsui &
Co to develop the Cameron LNG project. GDF
Suez holds a stake of 16.6 per cent.
The facility will have a liquefaction
capacity of 12 million tonnes per annum.
In total, Cameron will be able to export 1.7
billion standard cubic feet (35,700 tonnes)
of gas per day for 20 years from its proposed
US$6 billion Cameron Parish terminal
in Louisiana, which is due to become
operational in 2018.
For GDF Suez, this gas will be an
important addition to its LNG supply
portfolio. This currently stands at 16 million
tonnes per annum, which the company said
is the third largest in the world. It controls a
large fleet of 14 LNG carriers under mid and
long term charter agreements and is Europe’s
main LNG importer. MP
The Cameron LNG project has reached a key stage but needs to comply with an environmental impact assessment (credit: GDF Suez)
Cameron LNG project awaits environment report
Professional evaluation software for economic engine operation The new IMES TPE software loads measured cylinder pressure datafrom our successful EPM-XP directly and evaluates the current engineperformance for optimal adjustment to save costs and emissions.
the cylinder pressure people
NEW IMES TPEPerformance Evaluation Software
P R O V E N Q U A L I T Y
Made in Germany
Global Presence
Qualified Support
Quality Service
We put wind in your sails Our solutions for ship construction and condition-based maintenance increase ship availability.
• Early wear detection of thrusters and gearboxes
• Remote monitoring and diagnosis of machine
conditions provided by our GL certified
Monitoring Center
• Torsional vibration analysis and load monitoring
• Propeller line and stern tube alignment
• Drive train and shaft alignment
• Flatness measurement of flanges and foundations
PRÜFTECHNIK develops and delivers condition monitoring and alignment systems, services and support to the marine industry worldwide. With our international presence, we are always nearby.
www.pruftechnik.com
Find out how we maximize profitability. Just contact us.
40 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 41www.mpropulsion.com
M alaysian state-owned oil and gas
company Petronas has recently
placed an order with Hyundai Heavy
Industries Company (HHI) of South Korea to
build four new 150,000m3 Moss-type liquefied
natural gas (LNG) carriers (see also page 33). The
contract, which was signed in Seoul in October
2013, includes an option for a further four carriers
of the same class and the first deliveries of these
new generation Moss type spherical tank carriers
are scheduled for late in 2016.
A month later, in November 2013, Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Engine
Co (MHI-MME) received an order from HHI for
four of its Ultra Steam Turbine (UST) plants to
power these vessels, with HHI also including
the option for a further four units. For MHI,
this order is a landmark, being the first sale of
USTs outside the Japanese domestic market. The
company now plans to promote its marine steam
turbine products more actively and increase its
stake in the global marketplace.
MHI introduced UST designs with the aim
of improving fuel consumption of marine steam
turbine plant by introducing a reheat cycle. In
this configuration the exhaust from the high
pressure steam turbine is routed back through
the boiler reheater section, raising temperatures
to the same levels as the boiler superheater
outlet, before entering the intermediate pressure
turbine stage. This additional stage provides
increased shaft power and the reheat cycle also
increases overall plant efficiency.
In designing the reheat boiler, MHI retained
the basic needs of high reliability, compact design
and minimum weight construction but also took
into consideration specific marine operating
conditions. Compared with land-based steam
turbine plant, marine propulsion systems must
be able to cope effectively with low steam flows
and frequent load changes during manoeuvring
and other varying load conditions.
For reliability in service, the reheater tubes
must therefore be resistant to failure from the
risk of high metal temperatures. From the design
options available, MHI selected a dual furnace
approach to maximise reheater reliability. With
this arrangement the reheater and reheat furnace
are located in the main boiler combustion gas
outlet, providing lower gas inlet flow temperatures.
For the boiler design, MHI adopted the
construction principles of its MB type
conventional boiler, adding a downstream
reheat furnace in the gas flow path. The main
and reheat furnaces are fully water-cooled
and of welded wall construction to ensure no
leakage can occur from the gas path. To achieve
further efficiency increase, the UST design also
includes an increase in the surface area of
the superheater through the introduction of a
secondary exchanger operating in parallel.
Steam temperatures in this secondary
superheater are higher than in the primary
but metal temperatures are controlled as it is
shielded from direct heat radiation from the
furnace. Combustion gas temperatures are also
reduced through heat absorbed in the primary
superheater. Overall metal temperatures are
therefore held to similar levels as seen in
conventional boilers, despite higher steam
Despite the growth in popularity of dual-fuel engines, the option of high efficiency boiler and steam turbine plan is still attractive to operators
Steam turbines retain market for LNG carrier propulsion
steam turbines
An MHI UST steam turbine plant. Four are on order for Petronas LNGCs at HHI (credit: MHI)
Boilers for MHI’s UST steam turbines (credit: MHI)
42 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
Kawasaki offers steam turbine and diesel optionsKawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has become a
major player in building LNG carriers, delivering its
first steam turbine driven vessel, the Golar Spirit in
1976. Three decades later, in 2006, KHI announced
the completion of its 100th marine steam turbine
for installation in a 145,000m3 capacity vessel, 24
of which had been delivered during the previous
financial year ending March 2006.
They have all been fitted with its own steam
turbines, which have a history going back to 1907
when it manufactured its first marine turbines
under a technical alliance with the USA’s Curtis
Company. When the agreement lapsed in 1925, it
began developing its own designs.
Despite being a leader in steam turbine
technology, however, KHI has also seized
opportunities to provide LNG carriers with
alternative propulsion systems. In October last
year, for example, it delivered the 2,500m3 domestic
LNG carrier Kakuyumaru, which is powered by
steam turbines
temperatures being achieved.
One major benefit in the use of steam turbine
plant in LNG carriers continues to be the levels of
exhaust gas emissions during normal operation
using boil-off gas. Carbon dioxide emissions are
reduced due to the nature of the fuel and the
UST plant has a further positive impact on these
through its increased efficiency. As an additional
benefit, NOx and SOx emissions are also low
for steam turbine plants, which can a particular
advantage during times spent in port and while
loading and unloading the LNG cargo.
The MHI UST plant turbine design has also
been revised, primarily to include an intermediate
pressure stage. This is integrated with the high
pressure stage, operating back to back on the
same shaft, with a central inlet casing for both
stages. Designs are rated for higher steam inlet
temperatures of up to 560°C and new technology
has been introduced to both blade and nozzle
designs. Pressure at the superheater outlet is now
increased to 10 barG with a boiler design rating
of 12 barG. UST plants are available with outputs
ranging from 23MW up to 37MW and nominal
turbine shaft speed is 76 rpm for a 25MW rated
installation. As a result of these improvements,
MHI claims that UST plant performance is
improved by 15-20 per cent compared with its
earlier, conventional steam turbine (CST) designs.
For the initial HHI order for the Petronas
LNG carriers, MHI will provide four complete
UST plants, with each vessel being equipped
with two boilers and a single steam turbine
propulsion package. The first plant delivery to
HHI is planned for 2015 with Petronas receiving
its first new vessel in 2016.
Each double-hulled carrier will be fitted
with four independent self-supporting spherical
tanks which provide good performance during
loading and unloading operations, having lower
tendencies to exhibit sloshing forces compared
with membrane tank system. This makes the
design preferable for operation in rough seas
conditions. The total value of the order is
reported by HHI as being worth $850 million.
HHI claims that it is the only Korean
shipbuilder able to currently build Moss-type
LNG carriers and has delivered 15 vessels
from its Ulsan shipyard since 1994. Following
the signing of the contract with Petronas, Ka
Sam-Hyun, executive vice president of HHI’s
shipbuilding division, was optimistic about
future orders and the significance of pressure
on emissions. “We see this order as the first of
many for LNG carriers as regulations for carbon
dioxide emission tighten and demand for LNG
increases as an alternative energy source,” he
said. With further potential orders in sight,
these new vessels are also a clear indication
that PETRONAS is moving further into direct
involvement in the LNG marketplace.
Cylmate® Sensors. Pressure under control.
Save money by tuning and controlling the combustion pressure stroke-by-stroke. Cylmate pressure sensors used on electronically controlled diesel engines enabling improved energy efficiency and lower the risk for off-hire costs.
The unique and reliable Cylmate pressure sensor has proven its maintenance- and calibration-free performance during years of continuous operation.
5 year warranty. www.abb.com/pressductor
ABB ABForce MeasurementPhone: +46 21 32 50 00
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 43www.mpropulsion.com
a diesel engine and hence does not require the
boil-off gas treatment equipment as is required for
more conventional large-scale LNG carriers.
The following month KHI delivered the LPG
carrier Crystal Sunrise to Kumiai Navigation. This
82,200m3 vessel is the first LPG carrier to have the
Sea-Arrow bow design developed by Kawasaki to
minimise bow wave resistance. Propulsive power
is provided by an ultra-long-stroke two-stroke
diesel engine with efficiency further increased by
the adoption of KHI’s innovative rudder bulb and
duct system which enhances propeller efficiency.
But steam turbine powered carriers still
remain a key product for KHI and application
of the company’s advanced reheat turbine plant
has increased vessel efficiencies. One of the most
recent deliveries has been that of the LNG carrier
Grace Dahlia to NYK. With a storage capacity of
177,427m3, this is the largest Moss-type LNG
carrier currently in operation and the second
of its type to be delivered by KHI. This increase
was achieved by expanding the size of the four
spherical LNG tanks.
Propulsive power is provided by KHI’s
Advanced Reheat Turbine Plant, designated as
the URA plant, which was developed specially for
application in LNG carriers. The plant incorporates
a reheat cycle with steam taken from the high
pressure turbine exhaust being returned to the
boiler for further heating before being sent on to
a medium pressure turbine stage.
This cycle, which uses a high pressure and
temperature boiler, achieves a dramatic increase in
thermal efficiency. As a result, fuel consumption
is reduced, with KHI claiming an improvement
in the order of 15 per cent compared to more
conventional steam turbine plants.
The first vessel of this type produced by KHI
was the Energy Horizon, which has a length of
300m, breadth of 52m and a gross register of
143,000gt. The vessel was built at the Sakaide
Shipyard of the Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corp
and went into operation in 2011 for NYK Line
and Tokyo LNG Tanker Co (TLT).The Panamax
vessel was the 10th LNG tanker in the TLT
fleet and initially targeted at LNG transport
for developments such as the Pluto project in
western Australia. Energy Horizon is managed by
NYK and chartered to TLT for a 20-year period.
KHI conventional marine steam turbine
plants are available in 10 basic frame sizes,
starting with the UA-120 with outputs from
5,800kW to 8,800kW. At the high end of the
range, the UA-500 delivers a maximum output
of 36,800kW from a package weighing a total
of 360 tonnes. Propeller shaft speeds range
between 80 and 125 rpm, corresponding to
the normal requirements of LNG carriers. The
URA reheat turbine plants are available in four
frame sizes, with the lowest output at 20,600kW
and the highest at 36,800kW. Shaft speeds are
configured at between 80 and 90 rpm. MP
Energy Horizon, to be fitted with KHI’s Advanced Reheat Turbine Plant (credit: KHI)
pioneeringWith Becker’s two newly developed LNG concepts, the company is
proving once again its innovative spirit on behalf of our environment.
The Wadden Sea Ferry with its ground-breaking LNG HYBRID drive
signifi cantly reduces the negative impact of passenger shipping on
shallow European coastal waters.
Additionally, the LNG HYBRID Barge generates energy for cruise ships
lying in port. Compared to the current method of producing energy using
their on-board diesel engines, the implementation of power supply by the
LNG HYBRID Barge will lead to a dramatic reduction of harmful particle
emissions during harbour layovers.
W W W. B E C K E R - M A R INE - SYS T E M S .C O M
Visit us at Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo, Amsterdam, Netherlands, hall 11, booth no. 1750, 24th-26th June 2014
Unrivalled access to the global marine engineering community
www.riviera-recruitment.com
A recruitment service from the publisher of
• Executive Search• Advertised Selection• Permanent• Interim / Contract
www.mpropulsion.com
A contract to power the US Navy’s future
fleet of hovercraft, the Ship-to-Shore
Connector (SSC), specifies Rolls-Royce
MT7 marine gas turbines derived from the
group’s successful AE1107 engine. Only minor
variations from the aero parent, which powers
the US Marine Corp’s Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey
tilt-rotor aircraft, are required for the SSC
application, resulting in more than 90 per cent
component commonality.
Among the refinements are a new engine
controller, bleed system and power take-off
shaft to suit the requirements of the hovercraft.
Rolls-Royce – whose hovercraft propulsion
pedigree includes the world’s largest, the SRN
4, during the 1960s and 1970s – will work with
Textron Marine & Land Systems to design and
manufacture the intake and exhaust architecture
as well as the mounting system.
US-based Textron is developing the SSC
and will build the initial craft in a programme
that could extend to 73 units. The fleet will
replace the US Navy’s current Landing Craft
Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft over the next
20 years for rapidly deploying personnel and
vehicles between surface ships and the shore.
Four MT7 gas turbines in each SSC will be
connected to an advanced gearbox system to
provide both propulsion and lift.
“Our gas turbine technology will increase the
power of the hovercraft by 25 per cent compared
with the previous generation, enabling each to
transport up to 74 tonnes of cargo at speeds over
35 knots,” reported Andrew Marsh, Rolls-Royce
president-naval. “At the same time, our engines
will improve fuel efficiency by 11 per cent.”
“The AE1107 is the ideal choice for several
reasons,” noted SSC programme manager
Paul Jones. “The marinisation of an aero gas
turbine would normally require some special
blade coatings so the engine can withstand
the maritime environment. But the Osprey is
designed to fly from ships and has accumulated
over 170,000 operating hours, so development
risk is minimised. The MT7 will undergo
endurance testing to become type-certified to
ABS’ Naval Vessel Rules.”
The MT7’s twin-shaft axial design
incorporates a 14-stage compressor followed
by an effusion-cooled annular combustor, a
two-stage gas generator turbine and a two-
stage power turbine. The cold end-drive engine
features six stages of variable compressor vanes,
a dual channel full authority digital electronic
control system, modular construction and an
‘on-condition’ maintenance capability.
Fuel and oil systems that are fully
integrated on the engine assembly contribute
to compactness and lightness. Significant
in-service benefits in terms of spares holdings
and maintenance training are anticipated from
the V-22 Osprey aircraft deployed by the US
Navy ships that will carry the SSC hovercraft.
A fully developed suite of component repairs,
special tools and publications are available from
the aircraft engine to support the MT7.
AE family upgrades – which have been
previously carried out on the engine across a
range of aircraft – could increase the available
power of the MT7 by up to 20 per cent or extend
its life. The power growth capability would
Gas turbine solutions are favoured for diverse naval applications but growing interest in LNG-fuelled installations could stimulate commercial shipping business
by Doug Woodyard
Compact power for warship gensets and propulsion
gas turbines
Rolls-Royce MT7 turbines – four per shipset – will power the US Navy’s SSC hovercraft fleet
46 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
enable larger payloads to be handled or life-cycle
cost savings to be realised.
Engines for the SSC development programme
are due for delivery to Textron in 2015, with
the first test craft beginning trials in 2017 and
becoming operational in 2020.
Rolls-Royce believes the MT7 gas turbine to
be well suited to other naval applications; diverse
system configurations for either mechanical or
electrical drives promise higher flexibility in
propulsion system layout.
US Navy demand for Rolls-Royce gas
turbine-powered gensets is primed to continue
with Department of Defence commitments to
additional DDG51-class destroyers, which have
already logged the longest production run for
any US Navy surface combatant. The 200th
AG9140 genset was installed last year on USS
John Finn, the 63rd ship in the Arleigh Burke
(DDG51) series.
Each vessel features three 3,000kW sets to
supply all electrical power for hotel services and
combat equipment. The sets are driven by 501-
K34 gas turbines, derived from the T56 engine
that powers C130 Hercules transport aircraft.
AG9140 gensets are also in service with
the Republic of Korea Navy’s latest KDX-III
destroyers. The first of these sets were built
and tested at the Rolls-Royce Indianapolis
facility in the USA, the others supplied as kits
for assembly and testing by Samsung Techwin
in South Korea. Similar gensets are serving
with the navies of Spain and Greece and with
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Agency.
Development of the AG9140 resulted in
an RF variant. The R indicates a redundant
independent mechanical start system,
enabling a dark-ship start from batteries only
(a built-in mechanical starter uses a small
Rolls-Royce model 250-KS4 engine); the F
indicates full authority digital controls for the
engine/genset systems.
More powerful RR4500 gas turbine-
generator sets rated at 4,000kW are specified
for the US Navy’s new DDG 1000 Zumwalt-
class destroyers, for each of which Rolls-Royce
will supply two such auxiliary gensets and two
36MW main generators powered by its MT30
gas turbines.
A versatile range of power options will
be offered by this integrated all-electric
machinery for propulsion and onboard
systems: the MT30-based sets providing
the bulk of the power and the RR4500 sets
securing economy during light load conditions
and peaking power when needed.
The DDG 1000 design, harnessing
approximately ten times the electrical power of
a DDG 51 destroyer, marks the first application
by the US Navy of a large gas turbine for
driving a generator set.
MT30 engines – the world’s most powerful
marine gas turbines – are also powering US
Navy Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and will drive
the UK Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth-class
aircraft carriers. The Royal Navy’s projected Type-
26 global combat ships will also feature an MT30
turbine as part of a CODELOG configuration.
GE Marine’s continuing commitments
include LM2500 gas turbines for the US Navy’s
Austal-built LCS programme, headed into
service in 2010 by the 127m-long aluminium-
hulled trimaran USS Independence. Twin 22MW
sets are incorporated in a CODAG propulsion
configuration partnered by MTU Series 8000
high speed diesel engines.
A marine sector debut for GE’s LM2500+G4
turbine was earned from the Italian and French
Navies’ FREMM frigate programme, a series due
for launching one per year from 2013 through
to 2022. Benefiting from refinements from the
latest generation of commercial and military
aircraft engines, the +G4 derivative yields 17 per
cent more power and a 6 per cent higher air flow
than the LM2500+ generation.
Adding to its US Navy references – over
700 sets have been delivered for surface
combatants – the LM2500 is booked to power
gas turbines
Rolls-Royce MT30 turbines are specified for major Royal Navy and US Navy warships
GE’s LM500 to power Korean patrol boatsGE’s smallest marine gas turbine, the aero-derived LM500, continues to earn references from naval patrol boats, the latest projects including the Republic of Korea Navy’s PKX-B programme. The gas turbines for the projected 34-ship series will be manufactured in Korea by Samsung Techwin at its Changwon facility, the first production phase covering 16 shipsets.
PKX-B patrol boats will feature LM500 turbines with ratings of around 4,425kW in a CODAG plant.
Capabilities have been established by GE in Korea to support the LM2500 and LM500 gas turbine requirements of the ROK Navy. The US group expects, through Samsung Techwin, to supply more than 100 LM500 engines for the earlier PKX-A and the new PKX-B programmes. Samsung Techwin locally manufactures selected parts and assembles and tests the completed engines.
GE provides support to its Korean partner for the gas turbine, control and
reduction gear systems as well as to the shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction and the ROK Navy throughout installation, sea trials and commissioning.
Derived from GE’s TF34/CF34 turbofan aircraft engines, the LM500 has 90 per cent commonality with the CF34 which powers the popular CRJ100/200 regional jet. The simple-cycle two-shaft LM500 design with cold end-drive capabilities is based on a gas generator and free power turbine; a 14-stage axial flow compressor yields a pressure ratio of 14.5:1.
GE Marine, a business unit of GE Aviation
The LM family of engines from GE Marine has been powering navies and commercial ships around the world for decades. Today, we offer a full range of power from the 4,470 kW LM500 to the 42,750 kW LM6000.
So no matter what it is you’re moving, we’ve got you covered.
Learn more at GE.COM/MARINE
YOU’VE GOT A SHIP.WE’VE GOT THE PROPULSION SYSTEM.
GE Marine
73741_marine_lm_ship_LNG.indd 1 2/15/13 2:24 PM
48 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
the DDG 117 and DDG 118 destroyers USS
Paul Ignatius and USS Daniel Inouye. The gas
turbines (four per shipset) will be delivered
this year to the respective builders, General
Dynamics/Bath Iron Works and Huntingdon
Ingalls Industries.
These LM2500 units will feature
improvements made through GE’s common
engine programme, including upgrades of
the compressor rotor, turbine mid-frame,
compressor rear frame and power turbine.
The programme fosters cost control, enhanced
manufacturing and durability, and reduced
spares lead times. Common engine changes
are contained within the gas turbine to
avoid impact on ship interfaces and onboard
maintenance activities.
Overseas navies also continue to provide
business for GE Marine. Three Hobart-class
air warfare destroyers completing at the
domestic ASC yard for the Royal Australian
Navy (RAN) each incorporate twin LM2500
sets within a CODOG configuration. The
ships are based on a design developed and
applied by Navantia of Spain for the Spanish
Navy’s F100 frigate programme.
The RAN already operates 16 x LM2500
units in its Adelaide- and ANZAC-class
frigates; further sets will be deployed in a pair
of Canberra-class LHD vessels, each featuring
one gas turbine as part of a CODLAG system.
A combined diesel-electric and gas turbine
propulsion plant incorporating a single
LM2500 will also drive the German Navy’s
new F125-class frigates; the first of four
such ships was christened in December at
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Hamburg,
part of a German construction consortium.
GE is supplying the LM2500 turbines
from its Evendale, Ohio, facility to MTU
Friedrichshafen in Germany for assembly
into propulsion modules.
Four LM2500 gas turbines together
delivering 80MW will power the Indian
Navy’s first domestic-built aircraft carrier,
INS Vikrant, which will be handed over after
extensive trials in late 2016/early 2017.
The propulsion modules were assembled,
inspected and tested in India by Hindustan
Aeronautics using GE-supplied kits; the
licensee’s modules also power three Indian
Navy stealth frigates.
LM2500 sets in service are benefiting from
digital fuel control (DFC) system retrofits to
improve gas turbine reliability and deliver
lower maintenance and reduced long-term
costs. The DFC kits from GE incorporate the
most advanced controls now standard for new
LM2500, LM2500+ and LM2500+G4 turbines
in contrast to the hydro-mechanical control
systems of earlier generation sets.
DFC technology secures more accurate
fuel and air scheduling within the turbine
installation through electrical feedback and
closed-loop control; and fuel characteristics
and variable stator vane (VSV) positions can
be recalibrated via the control software inputs.
Furthermore, gas turbine control sensor
redundancy is available for compressor discharge
pressure, compressor inlet temperature and
pressure, gas generator speed, VSV position
and fuel metering valve position. Improved
operator signals, alarms and troubleshooting
are provided by additional electrical sensors
and actuator feedback.
DFC kits also offer improved capabilities
for data capture and condition monitoring as
well as enhanced engine resistance to possible
fuel contamination through oil actuation of
the VSV fuel metering valve.
GE Marine has teamed up with China’s
Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co and Lloyd’s
Register to develop a gas turbine-powered LNG
carrier design, reviving an earlier unsuccessful
challenge in that market also mounted by
Rolls-Royce. The growing popularity of gas-
fuelled propulsion solutions and an expanding
LNG bunkering network should stimulate
interest in gas turbine power for appropriate
commercial tonnage. MP
gas turbines
Vericor targets fast naval and passenger projectsGeorgia, USA-based Vericor Power Systems’ is targeting fast patrol boat, attack craft, corvettes and hovercraft propulsion markets, while the compactness and light weight of its TF Series system have also earned installations in fast ferries and megayachts.
The company’s pedigree extends over more than 30 years, although the company dates only from 1999. Its parentage started with AVCO Lycoming, which originated the TF Series marine gas turbines, and culminating with MTU Aero Engines.
Lycoming Turbine Engine was acquired in 1995 by AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) from Textron, along with its TF marine gas turbine. In 1999 AlliedSignal set up a joint venture with MTU Aero of Munich for marine and industrial business under the name Vericor Power Systems. Vericor became (and remains) a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTU Aero Engines in 2002.
Vericor’s aero-derived TF Series gas turbines – TF40, ETF40B and TF50A models – cover continuous power ratings from just under 3,000kW to 3,803kW (with boost power ratings from 3,430kW to 4,176kW). Propulsion and electrical power generation applications in naval and commercial vessels are addressed.
The cold end-drive turbine can be integrated into a package by cantilever mounting directly to the reduction gearing or mounting to a horizontal support frame and connecting to the gearing via a shaft and coupling. More powerful packages can be created by integrating two or three turbines in either side-by-side, over/under or Tri-pak configurations, depending on the space constraints of the hull.
Typical of Vericor’s fast naval installations are US Navy Landing Craft-Air Cushion (LCAC) vessels, which feature four Vericor ETF40B engines for driving the lift and propulsion fans.
Last year the US Navy ordered another eight ETF40B engines, taking the total to 16 for LCAC Service Life Extension Programme (SLEP) requirements in fiscal 2013. The engine delivers around 20 per cent more power than the model it replaces on LCACs, fostering improved performance in hot weather and a higher payload, as well as reducing life-cycle costs. The SLEP version of the LCAC extends service life from 20 to 30 years.
TF Series gas turbines are designed to burn marine diesel oil, kerosene or jet fuel. Successful running on a 50/50 mix of algae-based fuel and conventional marine diesel has been demonstrated by an LCAC installation, however, with no operational problems or degradation of performance reported. A subsequent inspection found the engines to be cleaner than when operating on straight marine diesel.
Vericor TF Series turbines have operated successfully on a 50/50 mix of algae-based fuel and marine diesel oil
New BOLLFILTER Automatic TYPE 6.18.3C for Ballast Water Filtration:
BOLL & KIRCH Filterbau GmbH • P.O. Box 14 20 • D-50143 Kerpen Tel. +49 2273 562-0 • Fax +49 2273 562-223 e-mail: [email protected] • www.bollfilter.com
The new BOLLFILTER Automatic TYPE 6.18.3C reflects the whole competence and qualification of BOLL & KIRCH Filter-bau GmbH as a preferred supplier of the marine industry. With its new design it offers• newly developed dual filter candles with cross and coun-
terflow flushing for top performance in filtration and backflushing,
• new modular filter design for easiest installation and maintenance in new builds as well as retrofits,
• low space requirement and small footprint,• simple and robust design for high reliability and long ser-
vice life. Last but not least its short-term availability and competitive price make it even more attractive.
Experience & Innovation
Visit us at SMM, Hamburg, 09.-12. September,
Hall A1, Booth A1.430
BUK419858P_Anzeige_6_18_3C_100x297mm_engl_bel.indd 1 08.04.14 12:08
Quality assurance standardBS EN ISO 9001:2008
TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEMS
Complete range of DIRECT, PNEUMATIC, ELECTRIC and GAS operated systems
DIRECT OPERATED• BORE SIZES 25mm - 250mm
• COMPACT DESIGN
• LOW COST MAINTENANCE
• PIPING FLEXIBILITY
• MANUAL CONTROL
• ROBUST CONSTRUCTION
• MINIMAL PRESSURE LOSS
Independent of external power sources. Valve position determined by internal temperature sensor
YOUR PARTNER WITH 60 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN TEMPERATURE CONTROL
walton ENGINEERING CO.LTD.61 London Road, St Albans, Herts AL1 1LJt: +44 (0)1727 855616 (2 lines) f: +44 (0) 1727 841145e: [email protected]
Inspired by water
Veth Propulsion
P.O. Box 53 | 3350 AB Papendrecht | The Netherlands
T +3178 615 22 66 | E [email protected] | www.veth.net
Veth Propulsion is the thruster manufacturer that has stood for
quality, service and innovation for decades. Your sailing profile and
specific needs form the basis for our bespoke solutions including
rudder propellers, bow thrusters, diesel engines and generator sets.
Working together with you. ‘Inspired by water, inspired by you’
VIsIT us aT
ITs hamburg,
sTand 117
VETH_Adv 90x130 FC ENG MarinePropulsion (Mrt14).indd 1 25-03-14 11:34
50 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
R egulatory authorities are being
requested to review an ever-increasing
number of LNG-fuelled vessel concept
designs. More and more owners and operators
are considering the use of natural gas to power
their ships in compliance with the tightening
international regime governing emissions of
atmospheric pollution from ships.
Despite several disadvantages attendant on
the technology, gas-burning engines comply
with all existing and anticipated restrictions on
emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen
oxides (NOx) laid down in Annex VI to IMO’s
Marine Pollution (Marpol) Convention. These
include the requirements that the sulphur
content of the fuel used by ships sailing in
emission control areas (ECAs) be reduced from
1 to 0.1 per cent from 1 January 2015 onwards
and from 3.5 to 0.5 per cent in ships sailing
worldwide by either 2020 or 2025. The choice
of implementation date for the latter restriction
will depend on the results of an IMO review later
in the decade.
These concept design review requests pose
challenges for regulators because of their diverse
nature. The applications for LNG-fuelled ship
design projects span a full range of vessel types,
from passenger vessels and ferries, tankers and
bulk carriers to container ships, car carriers,
offshore support vessels, tugs and icebreakers.
The different types of gas-burning engines also
need to be considered, as do varying options
for gas treatment equipment and bunker tank
design and location. On top of that, the logistics
of the bunkering operation is very often unique
to a particular vessel.
The availability of an agreed international
regulatory regime will greatly facilitate the
task of flag administrations in approving
LNG-propelled vessel designs and the work of
port and coastal states charged with verifying
compliance. While the maritime industry is
working hard on the development of such an
instrument – in the form of IMO’s International
Code for Ships using Gas or other Low Flash-
Point Fuels (IGF Code) – the use of LNG to
power ships that are not LNG carriers is a
relatively recent phenomenon and the code is
still in draft form.
Work on the IGF Code is nearing completion
but a handful of contentious issues await
resolution and IMO machinery is such that
the provisions requiring clarification need
input from several of the organisation’s sub-
committees. Development of the code in its final
phase is being progressed via a correspondence
group. Although the group is currently also
addressing the use of methanol and low flash
point diesel fuels, the primary focus remains
on LNG.
Recent IMO sub-committee work on the code
has included a review of the location of LNG
bunker tanks by the Ship Design & Construction
Sub-Committee and the development of STCW
training requirements by the Human Element,
Training & Watchkeeping Sub-Committee.
Although IMO is prioritising finalisation of
the IGF Code, and targeting a spring 2015
adoption date, under this timetable the new
regime would still not become mandatory until
sometime in the first half 2017. Once the work
on the use of LNG, methanol and low flash point
diesel fuels is complete, other fuels such as LPG
will be addressed.
Fortunately for IMO member states seeking
adherence to uniform provisions governing the
use of LNG as fuel, there is an interim, voluntary
regime in place that is the precursor of the IGF
Code. That is IMO Resolution MSC.285(86),
Interim Guidelines on Safety for Natural Gas-Fuelled
Engine Installations in Ships, which was published
by the organisation in June 2009.
This guidance owes much to the pioneering
provisions governing LNG-fuelled ships
developed by the class society Det Norske Veritas
(DNV, now DNV GL). DNV developed its rules
to underpin the use in Norway of LNG as a fuel
to propel vessels, beginning with the cross-fjord
passenger ferry Glutra in 2000. Glutra is the
global LNG-powered fleet’s pioneering vessel and
amongst the 40 ships running on gas that are not
LNG carriers now in service worldwide, the vast
majority are operating in Norwegian waters.
The growing interest in LNG-powered vessels has put pressure on shipowners and regulators to finalise a new mandatory regime governing the use of gas as marine fuel
by Mike Corkhill
Finalising the LNG bunkering rulebook
cryogenic engineering
The location of LNG bunker tanks on ships, not least passenger vessels, has been a key discussion topic during the development of the IGF Code
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 51www.mpropulsion.com
On Glutra, LNG is vaporised by the engine
coolant and supplied to four 675kW ultra lean
burn natural gas engines placed above deck in
four separate and well ventilated engine rooms.
Each engine is coupled to a 720 kVA generator
supplying electric power through frequency
converters to asynchronous 1,000kW motors
coupled to twin steerable propellers at each
end of the ferry. The Glutra solution has proved
to be just one of a wide range of gas-powered
propulsion system arrangements now being
used by shipowners.
In addition to the IMO Resolution
MSC.285(86) interim guidelines and the DNV
rules, most of the other major class societies have
also published rules or guidelines for gas-fuelled
engine installations. These standards align closely
with the IMO interim guidelines and in some
cases provide more comprehensive requirements.
In working with this regime to assess the
viability of vessel designs that incorporate gas-
fuelled propulsion systems, flag administrations
are developing their own levels of expertise
with the technologies involved. They, in turn,
utilise the guidance as a baseline standard in
developing their own set of design criteria for
gas-fuelled vessels. Adherence to such criteria,
with any additional requirements they may
contain, is intended to provide a level of safety
in line with that inherent in compliance with
the original MSC.285(86) provisions. In these
early days for gas-fuelled ships the only viable
approach for flag administrations is to consider
applications for a design review on a case-by-
case basis.
Under this permitting process, the prospective
owner of an LNG-powered ship provides the
regulatory authority with documentation such
as the vessel’s general arrangement, a layout of
the gas-fuelled system components and a list of
standards proposed for the system’s design. Details
also need to be supplied of how each provision of
the MSC.285(86) interim guidelines is to be met
and how any deviations are to be addressed.
This approach enables significant issues
to be identified early in the design phase
and facilitates the plan approval and vessel
certification processes. During construction, the
administration’s marine inspectors are on hand
to ensure that the ship is built in line with the
approved plans.
Two of the contentious ship design issues
that have occupied those charged with drafting
the IGF Code relate to the design concepts
for ensuring machinery space safety and the
placement of LNG bunker tanks.
The IMO interim guidelines provide two basic
design concepts for running a natural gas-based
fuel feed system in an engineroom. These are that
they should be inherently gas-safe or there should
be emergency shutdown (ESD) arrangements.
The machinery spaces of ships designed to
the inherently gas-safe concept are considered
to be gas-safe under all conditions. Natural gas
fuel piping within engineroom boundaries on
such ships is fitted in a gas-tight enclosure by
means of either double-walled pipe or single-
walled piping within a gas-tight duct. The space
between the inner and outer pipe/duct must be
either pressurised with inert gas or ventilated.
The machinery space is considered a non-
hazardous area and there are no restrictions on
electrical equipment installations.
On ships constructed to the ESD design
concept machinery spaces are considered gas-
safe under normal conditions but have the
potential to become gas-dangerous spaces
under certain abnormal conditions. This
concept allows single-walled piping inside
the engineroom without an external gas-tight
enclosure. Extraction ventilation, at the rate
of 30 air changes per hour, is used to prevent
the accumulation of flammable vapours within
the space. Should gas be detected at low
levels, all electrical equipment not certified
safe for hazardous locations is automatically
shut down.
The ESD concept was developed when engine
manufacturers had not yet engineered a proper
solution for fitting double-walled piping to the
fuel manifolds on internal combustion engines.
Technology improvements in more recent years
have ensured that this is no longer an issue for
the majority of engine sizes.
One of the challenges of the ESD concept
is that the approach relies heavily on active
safety measures such as gas detection sensors
and automation systems that translate sensor
signals into alarms and shutdowns. All these
components require monitoring, maintenance
and testing to ensure continuous efficacy.
To date, the availability of a double level
of protection for gas transmission systems in
machinery spaces has carried the day. All the
systems that have been accepted so far as
providing a level of safety equivalent to that
given by the existing regulations are of the
inherently gas-safe type.
The LNG bunker tank location debate
revolves around whether or not the placement
of such tanks below accommodation spaces,
service spaces and control stations should be
permitted. The issue is at its most divisive when
passenger vessels are under consideration.
IMO’s interim guidelines acknowledge the
fact that design constraints for certain types of
ship may not allow a well-defined area between
transverse watertight bulkheads to be set aside
for the exclusive use of LNG bunker tanks and
gas transfer equipment. MSC.285(86) does this
by providing several layers of protection to
further reduce the risk of fuel system failure
and to mitigate the hazards caused by a leak or
rupture in the fuel system. These include gas
detection with associated alarms and shutdowns,
continuous negative-pressure ventilation of the
tank room at 30 air changes per hour and liquid
level and temperature monitoring systems in the
tank room bilge.
In addition, by prohibiting the installation
of non-certified electrical equipment, the tank
room’s designation as a zone 1 hazardous space
is ensured. The use of cold-resistant material
for the tank room boundaries provides further
protection as does the thermal insulation
separating the room from the hull structure.
A number of class societies have considered
additional requirements for tanks under
accommodation areas on passenger vessels.
These include providing a cofferdam between
the tank compartment and adjacent machinery
or accommodation space and placing the fuel
tanks at a distance of B/5 from the hull, where B
is the vessel’s beam.
Bunker tank placement relative to other areas
on gas-fuelled ships will be an issue requiring
close scrutiny for future designs of such vessels.
Owners and regulators will need to not only
weigh up the various risks to the tank and their
consequences but also give consideration to the
measures taken to prevent or mitigate these
consequences. Another aspect that needs to be
considered in this respect is the design of the
vessel’s LNG bunker tank or tanks.
Amongst the other issues being addressed
by IMO delegates, including flag administration
representatives, during the finalising of the
IGF Code’s provisions are hazardous area
classifications, gas detection system certifications
and fire protection arrangements. The task
of developing a mandatory regulatory regime
for LNG-powered ships will be accompanied
by the equally rigorous work of ensuring its
proper implementation. Both shipowners and
regulators will derive benefit from beginning
their cooperation on a proposed design concept
at the earliest possible time. MP
Natural gas-based fuel feed systems in LNG-powered vessels use the gas-safe concept
52 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
OIL SPRAY-OUTSMIST FORMATIONHP STEAM LEAKS
Find out more about safety shield solutions and SOLAS, MARPOL and EP15 regulations at our
website. Or email us with your specific requirements
www.flangeguards.comThe Safety Shield Experts
Shielding flanges & valves is the first line of defence in the engine room. But can you really put your faith in splash-tape and ill fitting steel bands?
Never compromise
on safety!
www.airproducts.no
Air Products has been Pioneers in the Nitrogen
market since 1982 and more than 1.000 marine N2
generators have been installed onboard ships.
If you care about your personnel, cargo and
reputation, contact us and we will help you.
Air Products nitrogen generators
When safety matters
Air Products - Chem1 - 128x90 - 130422.indd 1 2013-04-26 11:02:35
Electric Motors and Generators
Asynchronous, Synchronous and High Power Permanent Magnets
www.gamesaelectric.com
Gamesa_Layout 1 13/01/2014 10:35 Page 1
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 53www.mpropulsion.com
T he shale gas phenomenon in the US has
been a game changer for not only the
global gas industry but also operators
of US-flag vessels. A growing number of the
country’s shipping companies are preparing to
use the growing supplies of competitively priced,
clean-burning gas now becoming available to
fuel their ships and achieve unprecedented
reductions in vessel operating costs.
Natural gas is provided for use as a ship fuel
in the form of LNG and, despite the additional
costs associated with LNG-powered vessels,
including the newbuilding premium and the
specialist liquefaction plants and bunkering
arrangements required, the use of this new fossil
fuel is set to pay dividends.
As a result of the growing shale output from
deposits across the country, the US has regained
its title as the world’s largest producer of gas in
recent years. Nationwide gas production reached
2.2 trillion ft3 in August 2013, the highest
monthly total since 1973. According to the US
Energy Department, output in 2014 is expected
to average 71 billion ft3/day, or 1.1 per cent above
the 2013 figure.
US consumers are now paying approximately
US$4.25 per million Btu for their gas, about
one-third of the price pertaining in Europe and
under a quarter of that for gas delivered to Asia
as LNG. On a Btu basis natural gas in the USA,
after conversion to LNG, also costs less than both
heavy fuel oil and distillate oils such as diesel.
The other factor driving US interest in LNG
bunkering is the status of North America as
an IMO emission control area (ECA). Gas-
burning engines comply with all existing and
anticipated restrictions on emissions of harmful
atmospheric pollutants under both the ECA and
global sulphur cap regimes.
The dash for gas in the USA is helping solve the
classic chicken-and-egg dilemma that has slowed
acceptance of LNG as marine fuel in various parts
of the world. US shipowners are specifying the
LNG fuel option both for newbuildings and for
conversions of existing vessels, confident that the
necessary gas bunkering infrastructure will be in
place at the appointed time.
For their part, LNG suppliers are prepared to
invest in the necessary fuelling arrangements
to be part of an emerging shipping segment
in which owners are determined to make
significant savings in vessel running costs. Their
cause is being supported by a range of cryogenic
engineering companies that are currently
advancing the efficiencies and availability of
their small-scale liquefaction plant technology.
In addition it will be possible to load LNG for
bunkering purposes at some of the LNG export
terminals planned for the USA. Several such
facilities are existing import terminals which are
being provided with gas liquefaction trains to
enable the supply of LNG to both overseas and
local customers.
A recent survey by Zeus Development Corp
identified 42 LNG-powered vessels currently
under development or evaluation for service in
North America. The specified projects encompass
17 ferries, 12 tankers and bulk carriers, six
offshore service vessels, six container ships and
an articulated tug barge. The project portfolio
comprises 30 newbuilding vessels and 12 involving
converting the power plant on existing vessels.
Several ship newbuilding and conversion
projects are already underway. The most
advanced project features a series of six 5,250
Orders have been placed for the construction or conversion of 16 US-flag ships to run on LNG while final decisions for twice that number are imminent
by Mike Corkhill
US fast-tracks LNG-powered ships
cryogenic engineering
Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engines for installation on one of the six LNG-powered offshore support vessels building for Harvey Gulf
The two TOTE newbuildings will be world’s first purpose-built, LNG-propelled box ships
text
54 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
dwt offshore support vessel (OSV) newbuildings
under construction at the TY Offshore yard
in Gulfport, Mississippi, for Harvey Gulf
International Marine and operation in the Gulf
of Mexico. The first three will go on charter to
Shell and the entry into service of the lead ship,
Harvey Energy, was imminent as this issue went
to press. The vessel will be the first LNG-fuelled
vessel that is not an LNG carrier to be delivered
by a US shipbuilder and the first such vessel to
go into operation in the USA.
Harvey Gulf states that the US$55 million
newbuild cost for each of the STX Marine-designed
LNG-powered OSVs is about US$10 million more
than that of a similar-sized OSV running on
diesel fuel. However, the shipowner expects to
recoup the additional capital expenditure within
a relatively short period due to the savings in fuel
costs it will be able to achieve.
Each OSV is powered by a three 34DF Wärtsilä
engines and provided with a Wärtsilä LNGPac
fuelling system, the centrepiece of which is a
290m3 LNG bunker tank. While Chart supplied
the tanks for the first three ships in the Harvey
Gulf series from its Minnesota factory, Lockheed
Martin – the manufacturer of the external liquid
hydrogen and oxygen fuel tanks for the Space
Shuttle – has built the LNG fuel tanks for the
final three OSVs at its Michoud assembly plant
in Louisiana. The logistics involved in delivering
tanks from this facility to TY Offshore are much
less challenging than floating the units down
the length of the Mississippi River.
Lockheed Martin is also building the six
350m3 pressure vessel LNG storage tanks for the
bunkering facility that Harvey Gulf is building at its
Port Fourchon OSV vessel base in Louisiana. This
facility, which is due for completion later this year,
will be the first LNG bunkering station in the USA.
LNG-powered container ships are also set to
become part of the US shipping scene, thanks to
initiatives by Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE),
Crowley Maritime, Matson Navigation and Horizon
Lines. In addition to a pair of LNG-powered, 3,100
teu container ships ordered at the National Steel
and Shipbuilding Co (NASSCO) yard in California,
TOTE has also decided to convert two of its existing
ships, the Orca class roro cargo ships Midnight Sun
and North Star, to run on gas.
Due for delivery in 2015 and 2016, the TOTE
newbuildings will be world’s first purpose-built,
LNG-propelled container ships. The vessels will
be provided with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s new
low-speed, electronically controlled, gas-injection
(ME-GI) dual-fuel engines, another box ship
first. The engines will be fed by means of a fuel
gas supply system (FGSS) developed by Daewoo
Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)
and its Shinhan Machinery affiliate. The Daewoo
FGSSs will feature ACD’s model MSP-SL high-
pressure pumps with gearbox assemblies and
electric 150kW inverter duty motors.
The ABS-classed container ships will run
between Jacksonville, Florida and San Juan,
Puerto Rico. TOTE has chosen Pivotal LNG, a joint
venture company launched by AGL Resources
and WesPac Midstream, to provide the LNG
bunker fuel that will be used to power the vessels.
The container ships will bunker at their home
port of Jacksonville, Florida and Pivotal LNG
will provide the LNG from a new, small-scale
liquefaction plant it plans to build in the port.
TOTE has contracted Wärtsilä to supply main
engines, generators and its LNGPac integrated LNG
storage and fuel gas handling systems for Midnight
Sun and North Star in what will be the largest
project yet mounted involving the conversion of
existing ships to run on LNG. The two 255m-long
vessels run between Tacoma in Washington
and Anchorage, Alaska. TOTE plans to have the
converted ships in service by 2015, although the
yard that will carry out the retrofit work had yet
to be chosen at the time of writing in early April.
Each of the vessels will be equipped with four
12-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines and
generator sets. These engines are able to run
on either natural gas, low-sulphur diesel oil or
cryogenic engineering
WORLD-CLASS VALVES FOR LNG
25,000 valves installed on vessels
50 years in Cryogenics
Low cost of ownership
Outstanding Quality and Safety record
Approved by all major class societies
+44 (0)114 224 0000 [email protected] www.bestobellvalves.com
Globe and check valves for LNG fuel systemsMarine
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 55www.mpropulsion.com
heavy fuel oil. Each ship will also be provided
with two 1,100m3 LNG fuel bunker tanks and
the associated automation and fuel gas handling
systems as part of its Wärtsilä LNGPac package.
Crowley Maritime has entered the gas
propulsion system arena with an order for two
LNG-powered roro container ships (con-ros) at VT
Halter Marine. The vessels, each of which will be
able to carry approximately 2,400 TEU and nearly
400 vehicles at speeds of up to 22 knots, will be
deployed on routes connecting the US mainland
to Puerto Rico on delivery in the second and fourth
quarters of 2017. The pair are the first LNG-fuelled
vessels of the con-ro type to be ordered.
Crowley reports that the ships, to be part of
its new Commitment Class and named El Coqui
and Taino, will replace the towed triple-deck barge
fleet it has used to link the US mainland and
Puerto Rico since the 1970s. The new vessels will
be propelled by dual-fuel engines of the ME-GI,
low-speed type supplied by MAN Diesel & Turbo.
Jacksonville is also Crowley’s home port and the
vessels will be bunkered at this location.
Crowley was assisted in the vessel design phase
by Jensen Maritime, its Seattle-based marine
engineering subsidiary, and Wärtsilä Ship Design.
In early 2013 the Florida-based shipowner acquired
Carib Energy and established Crowley LNG as a
new subsidiary. Last year Crowley also ordered four
‘LNG-ready’ product tankers, designed to be able
to run on LNG at some future date.
Matson Navigation, a US West Coast operator,
has ordered two 3,600 teu container ships, each
of which will be powered by an MAN B&W
7S90ME-GI dual-fuel gas-injection engine. The
deal includes an option for three further vessels
of this type. Each low-speed engine will develop
42.7MW, making them the largest dual-fuel
engines ever ordered in terms of power output.
The new Matson container ships will be
constructed by Aker Philadelphia Shipyard
at an aggregate cost of US$418 million and
are scheduled for delivery in the third and
fourth quarters of 2018. Matson reports that
the 260m-long vessels will be the largest Jones
Act container ships ever constructed and are
designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23
knots. The first of this Aloha Class pair will be
named after the late US senator Daniel K Inouye,
who championed the US maritime industry and
its role in supporting Hawaii’s economy. Both
the Crowley Maritime and Matson Navigation
newbuildings will be classed with DNV GL.
Horizon Lines has received permission from
the US Coast Guard to send a further four of its
older, steam turbine-driven, Jones Act container
ships to a foreign shipyard for the conversion
of their propulsion systems to enable running
on LNG. The shipowner had earlier been given
a similar clearance to have two of its 1987-
built ships, Horizon Spirit and Horizon Reliance,
modified at an overseas yard. Horizon is yet
to choose where the work will be done and is
evaluating tenders from both domestic and
overseas yards.
The intention is to provide each ship with
medium speed, dual-fuel engines and two 1,000m3
LNG fuel tanks. Repowering of the first vessel will
commence in January 2015 and the conversion
work on both ships will be completed by late 2015
or early 2016. The shipowner has engaged MAN to
conduct preliminary engineering, consulting and
design work related to the proposed conversion
project. Horizon operates a fleet of 13 US-built,
Jones Act vessels linking the US mainland with
Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
The 16 ships described above represent the
US-flag LNG-powered vessel newbuilding and
conversion projects that are currently underway.
As the Zeus Development study highlighted,
shipowners are close to final investment decisions
on another 26 such vessels and in the few weeks
since the report was published, further LNG-
fuelled ship proposals have been tabled.
The USA has made a relatively late
commitment to LNG as marine fuel, and trails
Northern Europe in terms of both bunkering
infrastructure and the number of LNG-fuelled
ships. However, the US sector is developing
quickly and the country’s LNG bunker fuel
consumption is likely to be rivalling Europe’s
later in the decade. MP
Adding value through innovation
www.ingeteam.com
Synchronous or asynchronous motors
Direct Current Motors
Submersible motors
At Indar we apply the concept i+c to every project we undertake – innovation to find the best solution and commitment to provide the best service.
Indar brand manufactures all types of motors, alternating as well as direct current motors, required for the drives installed on board of the vessels, especially those used for electric propulsion.
The formula of the new energy
56 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
Marine Generating Sets30 kVA to 1000 kVA• Powered by: Perkins, Scania, Deutz, Cummins, Volvo &
MTU marine diesel engines - heat exchanger, keel orradiator coolin g
• Acoustic housings designed to customer specifications
• Manufactured to Classification Society requirements: Lloyds Register, Det Norske Veritas, Bureau Veritas,Germanisher Lloyd, ABS, CCS, etc
Main auxiliary, emergency & harbour power - ferries, cargo vessels, patrol boats, trawlers, tugs, super yachts & military craft
Tel: 01452 723492 Email: [email protected]
www.betamarine.co.uk
genset advert 3.qxd:Layout 1 4/6/13 16:37 Page 1
www.mpropulsion.com hosts a fully searchable archive of every article ever published in Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery
Did you know?
C
M
J
CM
MJ
CJ
CMJ
N
ad-3-4-stage-2012.pdf 31/05/2012 10:44:16
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 57www.mpropulsion.com
B ack in 1917 when the World War I was at
its height, Winston Churchill – who was
then the British Minister of Munitions
– had a problem. As British troops moved across
mainland Europe they needed fuel and water. But
with no friendly suppliers to call on, he needed to
be able to deliver these vital elements by pipeline.
Churchill’s specification was demanding: it
had to be possible to lay these pipelines quickly
and, if the tanks and troops had to retreat,
they had to be dismantled and taken away.
He gave the problem to the Royal Engineers, a
corps of the British Army, which devised a way
of connecting pipes with bolted mechanical
couplings that could be joined and dismantled
using just a few readily-available tools.
It took them until 1919 – after the war was
over – to meet Churchill’s specification. That year
one of those engineers, Ernest Tribe, founded
the Victory Pipe Joint Co, which joined with the
War Department and coined the name Victory
Hydraulics, or Victaulic, for its collaborative
effort to create mechanical joining techniques.
The couplings later played a vital role in
World War II following the 1944 D-Day landings.
A fuel supply line was laid under the English
Channel – dubbed the pipeline under the ocean,
or Pluto – constructed using Victaulic couplings.
Speaking to Marine Propulsion during the
Kormarine exhibition, the company’s vice
president Didier Vassal cited the Korean War
in the early 1950s as another military example,
when all the piping to help the US Army and
its allies was installed using Victaulic couplings.
Their civilian use spread across the British
Commonwealth, to countries including Palestine,
Egypt and India. Some early Victaulic couplings
are still in service: examples dating back to 1921
can be found in London, where the pipes they
connect once carried water but now protect cables
as part of the city’s modern infrastructure.
Those original couplings featured a grooved
ring that was mounted on the outside of the pipe.
It was in 1925 that the familiar grooved pipe
concept was developed and a US licence was sold
to Frederick Bedford, who could see its potential
for laying water pipes to oil wells. He established
the Victaulic Company of America and did a lot of
work for John D Rockefeller’s Standard Oil.
Victaulic couplings were also installed on the
US-built Liberty Ships during World War II. One
surviving vessel, John W Brown, still sails regularly.
Mr Vassal was on board last autumn and saw its
original Victaulic ballast pipe couplings that had
been fitted in 1942. “They never leaked,” he said.
In the UK, major yards including Harland
and Wolff, Cammell Laird and Swan Hunter
used Victaulic connectors from the late 1920s. Mr
Vassal, who takes a keen interest in researching the
product’s history, recently had a chance meeting
with a retired Swan Hunter engineer who has been
able to provide details of many of that yard’s ships
that had been fitted with Victaulic couplings.
More recently, high-profile land-based projects
have generated business, including London’s Shard
– which is the tallest building in the EU – and the
world’s tallest building, Dubai’s 830m Burj Khalifa.
Four years ago, however, the company
relaunched its maritime business. Many engine
manufacturers and other equipment makers have
adopted Victaulic’s products, and they are also
proving popular for ballast water treatment systems.
Victaulic’s technology has not changed much
since its development nearly a century ago, but
it still finds new applications to address current
technical developments. “I had no idea there
would be such a fantastic synergy,” Mr Vassal
said. “It is quite fun.” MP
Victaulic couplings were used under London’s streets after World War I (photo: Victaulic)
Quick system launched for small pipes
history
Victaulic’s technology may have a long history
(see above) but it has recently developed a
new joining system for small pipes, Vic-Press.
Unlike the company’s established system,
which uses grooved pipes, this uses off-the-
shelf stainless steel pipes that engineers can
readily source.
To make the joint, pipes are cut to
length and de-burred and then inserted
into a Vic-Press coupling or fitting, which
contains a pre-lubricated gasket. A hand-
held tool presses this onto the pipe to form a
permanent leak-tight joint. Victaulic has also
developed technology to identify any joints
that have not been pressed as the system is
filled and tested.
The system is suitable for air, fuel and water
supply lines and can be used in combination
with the standard Victaulic grooved joining
system. It has been type-approved by a
number of class societies, including Lloyd’s
Register, Germanischer Lloyd, DNV and ABS.
V for VictaulicA World War I pipe joining system still solves problems today
58 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
CIMAC at Marintec
C hairing the International Council
on Combustion Engines (CIMAC)
seminar in Shanghai, Stefan Müller,
director of the marine application centre at
MTU Friedrichshafen, clarified the event’s title:
‘Integrated marine systems for the future’.
It referred to propulsion systems but, in his
introduction, he made it clear that its impact
was wider than that. “Global trade will continue
to grow significantly with a need for competitive
and efficient transport solutions that increase
energy efficiency and reduce harmful emissions,”
he said. “For engine manufacturers, this means
reducing emissions and increasing efficiency of
engines. In-engine solutions include addressing
combustion systems, injection systems,
electronics, exhaust gas recirculation and so on.
Taking a broader approach involves addressing
fuels, after treatment, heat recovery, combined
and hybrid systems.”
He said that managing technology also
includes reliability and availability. Holistic
approaches must also consider that system scope
and complexity will increase to fulfil efficiency
and environmental requirements. The industry
will need qualified personnel, and automation
will gain relevance.
Giving a class society perspective Zhongmin
Yang, director of China Classification Society’s
Shanghai Rules and Research Institute, said
that suppliers have to respond to IMO emissions
regulations on SOx, NOx and CO2. “This has
an impact on the technical development of
marine diesel engines, including development
of EGR, SCR and alternative fuels, as well as
increased efficiency.”
Prof Yang commented that the role of class
is responding to this challenge by developing
rules and technical standards, energy efficiency
management systems incorporating technical
research, application of results and the
integration of information. “This should lead
to optimised design, verification of product
performance and assist shipowners,” he said.
Considering future challenges in more
technical detail, Karl Wojik, vice-president at
engine supplier AVL List in Austria asserted:
“System efficiency is the next big challenge for
propulsion system technology.” He described
current challenges as meeting low NOx and low
sulphur requirements, for which solutions are
being developed. “Tomorrow’s challenge is high
energy efficiency for which there is a need to look
beyond the engine. Key elements of integration
include waste heat recovery (WHR), optimum
plant layout, fuel and lube cooling systems, and
the development of different configurations of
hybrid systems.” WHR involves combined steam
and power turbine driven generators adapted for
utilisation of exhaust gas.
Mr Wojik said that there is a need for
the right tools to optimise systems, including
model-based development using simulators
for engines, transmissions, batteries, electric
motors, inverters and control strategies. He
cited his company’s Cruise-M – a control system
development for the main engine – and EPOS – a
condition monitoring model-based development.
“This leads to optimum route planning, reduced
fuel consumption, lower emissions, and lower
operating costs. System optimisation is a great
opportunity for the future.” Mr Wojik later
expanded on his remarks exclusively for Marine
Propulsion; see Powertalk, in the last issue.
Willie Wagen, director of ship power at
Wärtsilä Propulsion in Norway, talked about
innovation. “Shipping will have a range of
more sustainable fuels in the future – wind,
fuel cells, solar, carbon capture, and others.
Flexibility is needed.”
He said: “Total efficiency is the key.
Optimised vessel design, operations efficiency,
hybrid machinery and distribution and energy
storage will be increasingly important. There
is a need to design ships [that are] optimised
for their intended operation. The tool box
to achieve this includes flexibility in fuels,
energy saving, propulsion train design and
smarter equipment and ships. Older ships will
become obsolete or inefficient. It is a matter of
adapting technology for marine applications,
not re-inventing the wheel.”
Maximising a vessel’s total efficiency will
reduce its consumption of fuel and other
resources, as well as emissions. Its design
and operation should be aimed at minimising
the energy required to accomplish its desired
mission and the energy on board the vessel
should be generated in an efficient manner and
optimised for the prevailing conditions and the
vessel’s task. Energy losses will be effectively
avoided or recovered, using optimised vessel
design, operation support, hybrid machinery
and distribution, and energy storage.
Mr Wagen said: “By applying available
technologies to shipping, the industry’s
environmental impact can be considerably
lowered. In the vessels of the future all emission
streams will be minimised. This clearly reduces
the environmental impact of shipping even
when shipping volumes become considerably
higher than they are today.”
He commented that such fleet optimisation
rewards the total value chain. “Fleet optimisation
guides the vessel design and the effective use of
the operator’s fleet. This ensures competitiveness,
efficient operations and excellent environmental
performance, with an optimal combination of
fleet size, vessel size and speed.”
The main opportunities from this trend
include more advanced newbuildings and huge
retrofit opportunities. Against this are the
challenges posed by the availability of fuels,
available infrastructure and development of the
necessary technology.
JuSeong Han, of Hyundai Engine and
Integration as a crucial feature on improving the efficiency of marine propulsion systems was the key theme of a seminar organised by CIMAC at the Marintec event in Shanghai in early December.
Driving system integration is key to efficiency
Stefan Müller of MTU Friedrichshafen chaired the CIMAC seminar in Shanghai
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 59www.mpropulsion.com
Machinery Division in South Korea, backed LNG
fuel as the best common solution for addressing
all the environmental and efficiency challenges.
He highlighted the two main options for LNG
propulsion systems – low pressure using a pump
and vaporiser, or a high pressure system. There
are also several LNG tank options available, with
development work continuing on LNG tank
design and location onboard. “Owners need to
look at the whole system design including the
vessel’s operating profile,” he said.
Christoph Rofka, senior general manager
at ABB Turbo Systems, outlined the benefits
of enhancing the performance of engines
using two technologies. “Although two-stage
turbocharging is not new technology, it is new
for marine applications,” he said.
Developing this for marine engines involves
model development, with a doubling of pressure
ratios up to 12 compared with single-stage
turbocharging. This results in higher efficiency
by more than 75 per cent and more compact
two-stage systems can be developed. He also
highlighted the use of advanced variable valve
trains, featuring individual valve control for
closing, opening and lift height. Valves feature
steep closing flanks, but with no increase in
mechanical load. Variation from cycle to cycle
replaces conventional control elements.
“These technologies can be used in
combination to enhance performance of
medium speed diesels by up to 5-7 per cent
with higher pressure ratios. For gas engines the
potential is up to 10 per cent efficiency gain,”
Mr Rofka indicated.
Further potential performance gains involved
engine integration, standardisation and service-
friendly designs such as integrated two-stage
turbochargers, gas engines with diesel-like
flexibility, improved diesel mode for dual-fuel
engines and use of different operating modes.
Yasuhiro Itoh, managing director Niigata
Power Systems in Japan, focused on hybrid
propulsion systems, using an actual example of
two tugs being operated in Japan by Tokyo Kisen
in Yokohama. He pointed out that tugs require
high powered engines but for 75 per cent of the
time they operate at less than 20 per cent load
resulting in energy being wasted.
“Our idea is for main engine shutdown at
low loads, using lithium ion batteries instead
that can be re-charged while alongside the pier.
Another option is a hybrid solution without
batteries, using auxiliaries instead of the main
engine when operating at low loads.”
He described the first hybrid tug in Japan
that went into service in March 2013, the
Tsubasa, with a plug-in hybrid propulsion
system using a battery. This system saves 32
per cent in fuel consumption. In October 2013
another tug, the Ginga, went into service using a
hybrid system without batteries. “The challenge
is balancing the higher initial cost of these
systems, especially the battery, with the savings
in operation,” Mr Itoh said. The hybrid system
currently costs about 40 per cent more than a
conventional propulsion system, he said.
In answer to a question as to who should be
the driver for such developments, engine makers
or shipowners, Mr Itoh said that for these tugs
Niigata supplied the engines and propeller using
an integrated system it developed. “But there is
also an important driver from co-operation with
owners. It does not have to be the enginebuilder
who is the driver.”
In tests, Niigata simulated the system and
achieved a 20 per cent saving, but he said that
actual savings in operation are 30 per cent. “The
tug captain wanted to use the battery for as long
as possible and used it for more than expected
and more than it was used in the simulation, so
the operator involvement is also significant in
optimising performance.”
He said that on hybrid propulsion systems,
benefits from energy saving and emission
reduction have been verified. But maximising
the impact of hybrid propulsion with fuel and
emission reduction depends on the actual
operating engine load pattern. For example,
Mr Itoh suggested, hybrid propulsion could
be applied to ships operating for long periods
under low load or idle speed and ships for which
rapid loads are required – such as tugs, offshore
support vessels and some ferries operating short
distance shuttle services.
For compliance with IMO Tier III, batteries
can be used in emissions control areas, with gas
engines driving generators. In the future, the
batteries could be recharged using renewable
energy, such as wind, solar and tidal power.
Summarising the presentations Mr Müller
said that they demonstrated there is still more
potential for internal engine optimisation. “New
solutions include gas engines and hybrid systems
and operational aspects are also important.”
He raised the issue of rules for exhaust
gas after-treatment systems and the need to
monitor actual performance. “Class societies are
still developing rules for after-treatment. Where
rules have been developed they are mainly
focused on safety aspects due to the chemicals
involved, rather than performance.”
Mr Wojik referred to WHR systems,
commenting that there is a trade-off between the
system cost and the fuel savings for each vessel,
which would depend on its operating profile. Mr
Rofke stressed: “We do not see that it is possible to
meet upcoming emission regulations by internal
engine modifications alone. We are seeking to
optimise performance and reduce emissions, but
this will also need external measures such as
exhaust gas treatment systems.
He expressed concern that, with new systems,
exhaust gas temperatures are getting lower and
the requirement for exhaust gas to produce
steam to heat the fuel will not be met and hence
a requirement for an additional steam boiler. “So
there is a need for all the consequences of such
developments to be considered, he said.”
Mr Wagen suggested that battery prices
will reduce in the future and their capacity
will increase. “We will see increased use
of batteries and energy storage, even on
conventional vessels.” MP
Karl Wojik (AVL List): System efficiency is the next big challenge
The CIMAC panel in Shanghai debated integration of propulsion systems
60 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
W ith increasing pressure on
costs, recent trends have
been towards more integrated
power generation systems using shaft
generators in place of more traditional
auxiliary generating sets, typically driven
by constant-speed, four-stroke engines.
These gensets require space for installation
and generally run on marine diesel fuel
rather than lower cost heavy fuel oil. As a
result, shaft generator systems have become
more common, taking power from the main
propulsion train to generate electricity to
supply ship electrical loads.
Shaft generator systems are typically
based on synchronous generators with
electrical excitation, mechanically driven
from the main propeller shaft and feeding
power into the ship electrical system either
directly or through a frequency converter.
In many cases a gearbox will be required
in the drive system, introducing its own
losses. Alternatively, a direct connection can
Drive towards better shaft generators
generators and switchgear
Frequency control equipment comes as an integrated part of the permanent magnet generator package (credit: The Switch)
Lloyd’s Register has completed a General
Design Appraisal for the Dutch company
Eaton Industies’ Power Xpert UX range of
switchgear, confirming that the range meets
all requirements for application in ships and
other offshore facilities. The company began
processing orders for marine applications
within weeks of approval being granted.
“The marine and offshore sectors are
very important to us, and we’re delighted
we now have approvals that will allow our
customers in these sectors to enjoy the
benefits offered by one of our most popular
ranges of MV switchgear,” said Mostapha
Azzahimi, product manager for medium
voltage systems at Eaton.
All Power Xpert UX switchgear is now
type-tested to the latest IEC 62271-200
standards, with marine build versions having
undergone additional testing including for
resistance to damp heat, dry heat and cold.
Inclination and vibration tests have also been
successfully carried out. Products are also
constructed with earthed metal partitions
that fully segregate all major compartments.
Type UX switchgear is equipped with Eaton’s
latest range of IEC vacuum circuit breakers
type W-VACi, which have also been type-
tested to the same standards.
The innovative design of Eaton’s UX
switchgear originated from the earlier Unitole
products which have been in service for
over 40 years. The withdrawable vacuum-
operated breakers are air insulated and
available at ratings of up to 4,000A. Eaton has
adopted a policy of using environmentally-
friendly technology and materials and the
UX therefore avoids the use of potentially
harmful SF6 gas insulation. Its construction
is modular, allowing flexibility in panel
combinations, and multiple panels can be
used in installations.
At the heart of switchgear cabinet are the
busbar and circuit breaker compartments.
Busbars are totally enclosed in an earthed
metal compartment which vents upwards
into the arc chamber at the top of the
cabinet. This chamber can be extended
if required and connections can also be
provided for venting gases outside the
switchgear room. The busbars themselves
are fully insulated along their entire length
and tested for ratings up to 4,000A and
50,000A for 3 seconds.
Lloyd’s Register approves medium voltage switchgear for marine use
Permanent magnet generator technology offers benefits for marine applications
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 61www.mpropulsion.com
be made but the generator itself must be
designed to run at low speeds, necessitating
it being larger in size.
Although direct connection systems avoid
gearbox losses, low-speed electrically-excited
synchronous shaft generators are likely to
operate at lower efficiencies than their high
speed equivalents. Considering further losses
in power electronics, the overall efficiency,
comparing shaft power with electrical power,
can drop to below 90 per cent. Having
undergone considerable development in recent
years, permanent magnet (PM) generators
now present a practical alternative, with
higher power ratings now being possible. The
technology is also capable of efficient low
speed operation, allowing application to low
speed drivetrains without the necessity of an
up-speeding gearbox.
The absence of field windings and
associated losses provides PM generators
with advantages of efficiency, low weight
and simplified construction. Finnish
company The Switch points out that a typical
electrically excited shaft generator has rotor
field winding losses of up to 3 per cent of its
input power and these do not exist in a PM
generator. Stator losses are also lower, as the
generator operates at a higher power factor,
with resultant lower stator current and hence
lower resistive losses.
The Switch, which specialises in
PM machinery, estimates that a typical
electrically-excited shaft generator connected
to a low speed two-stroke diesel engine will
deliver a conversion efficiency of 93 to 94
per cent whereas a PM generator running in
equivalent conditions will deliver efficiencies
up to 96 or even 97 per cent. A consequential
advantage of this higher efficiency is the
reduction in cooling capacity required,
reducing loads on cooling water circuits or
air flow requirements.
A further benefit of the PM generator
concept is its simpler mechanical
construction. As it requires no separate
excitation, there is no exciter assembly – a
small generator in itself – in the machine
construction. By comparison, synchronous
generators often require an external power
source although installations required to
start without external power can be fitted
with a small, permanent magnet generator,
which adds to the complexity of the machine.
Without the need for these components,
and associated control electronics and diode
packs, the PM generator is far simpler and
less reliant on auxiliary systems, which can
also be prone to failure and will require
periodic maintenance.
Rotor construction of PM generators
is also more simple than their traditional
counterparts. In the case of The Switch
products, the rotor is a simple hollow steel
cylinder with magnets fixed to its surface.
The yoke thickness is typically 30 to 50mm,
with magnet thickness in the range of 15 to
20mm. The resultant rotor inertia is therefore
low, due to the compact nature and low
weight of the rotating element.
In offering a comparison, The Switch
indicates that, for a 1.5MW rated generator,
the shaft weight of a PM design could
be as low at 2 tonnes, compared with 6
tonnes for an electrically-excited generator.
In addition, rotor inertia, of the order of 600
kgm2, is also almost an order of magnitude
less than that of a conventional rotor. This
provides further benefits as, for rotating
equipment, the dynamics and vibration
characteristics of shafts are often critical to
operation. Hence, low mass and inertia are
desirable characteristics.
With PM generators already well
established in high-power industrial
applications, The Switch sees the technology
becoming more significant to marine
propulsion applications but notes that the
machines have yet to make a breakthrough
in ship power generation, where traditional
electrically-excited synchronous generators
are still the most popular option. The
company anticipates this will change,
however, and already offers a range of low,
medium and high speed PM generators with
power outputs up to 6.3MW. MP
Permanent magnet generators provide a flexible and more
efficient alternative to conventional generators (credit: The Switch)
The vacuum circuit breaker compartment
is fully segregated from other areas and
has its own pressure relief channel leading
into the arc chamber. The breaker can
be operated manually, if required, by
push buttons mounted on the front of
the cabinet with the doors remaining fully
closed. Mechanical interlocks prevent the
compartment door being opened until the
circuit breaker is switched off and placed into
the test position. As a further safety feature,
individually operated automatic earthed
metal shutters for line busbar and outgoing
cable connections can be padlocked in
their closed positions. If the breaker is
moved to either the test or disconnect
position, these shutters close automatically
to prevent accidental operator contact with
live sections.
Eaton’s vacuum circuit breakers are
constructed with fixed and moveable
contacts housed in a ceramic cylinder with
actuation by bellows. Contacts are shielded
against contamination from metal deposition
caused by vapours produced when the
breaker operates. The design also results
in a large number of parallel arcs being
created when contacts operate, resulting in
low arc voltages, short arc ties and resultant
low energy dissipation. This limits contact
wear and reduces maintenance, with Eaton
certifying the equipment for up to 30,000
operating cycles.
The cabinet includes an earth switch that
is operated from the front of the switchgear
and mechanical indicators are provided
to show the switch position, along with
a window being incorporated to allow a
direct view of the mechanism. Mechanical
interlocks with the circuit breaker are
incorporated such that the switch can only
be closed when the breaker is in the test
or disconnect position and the circuit earth
switch can be mechanically interlocked
with the cable compartment door, providing
further safety protection.
The lower sections of the cabinet house
current and voltage transformers, cable
terminations and the earth bar whilst the low
voltage panel is mounted at a convenient
height for operators, on the front of the
cabinet, above the main breaker panel.
Eaton Industries Power Xpert UX MV switchgear has passed its General Design Appraisal by Lloyd’s Register (credit: Eaton Industries)
62 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
generators and switchgear
ABB ship-to-shore electrical power system connects in minutes
Short circuit constraint and reactions are key requirementsSchneider Electric has developed the loop power distribution topology for high voltage ship systems. The French company’s vice president for business development in the marine sector Edouard Coste said it has supplied these systems to automation and power distribution suppliers for specific vessel newbuilding projects.
“The loop distribution system includes higher redundancy, and improves the energy efficiency on ships. If there is a failure in the system, then the power supply is not disrupted as it is a ring network. It is more efficient because there are less cabling and lower power losses,” he explained. Schneider Electric’s loop distribution systems have been installed on Norwegian Cruise Line and Aida Cruise ships.
The loop network consists of several substation/ring main units (RM6), voltage switch-disconnectors that ensure the closing and opening of the loop and circuit breakers and fuse-switch combinations that protect transformers and other electronics. The RM6 switchgear cubicles provide rapid cable connections, enabling the connection, supply and protection of transformers to an open ring network.
Schneider Electric’s marine segment manager Jack Hawkins said the main benefit of the system is about speed of recovery after a short circuit. “The faster you can intervene, the best it is to save the equipment and have reliable and safe operations. The higher the short circuit level is, the more difficult it is to cut it.”
Another innovation from Schneider Electric is the ultra-fast breakers for low voltage systems. These enable vessels to sustain higher short-circuit current constraints, which means their power systems do not have to be increased to medium voltage levels. Mr Coste said this means shipowners do not have to employ dedicated crew on board these vessels to maintain the power distribution system. “We have added ultra-fast breakers that start to operate in less than 0.5ms and clear faults in less than 8ms. The peak fault current is limited by 40 per cent. We have sold this to offshore support vessel operators who have saved on their operating expenditures because of using the low voltage systems.”
ABB is supplying a complete ship to shore (S2S)
power system to the ropax ferry, SuperSpeed1.
Operated by Color Line and built by Aker
Finnyards, the vessel has already seen more than
five years of operation between Kristiansand and
Hitshals and will the third Color Line vessel to
be equipped with the S2S system, following on
from Color Magic and Color Fantasy.
Engine emissions in port have come into
greater focus in recent years and interest in
cold ironing – taking power from an onshore
supply – has increased considerably. With vessels
requiring different powers and supply voltages,
there are difficulties to be overcome but ABB
has developed a range of solutions that can be
applied to different vessel types. The S2S system
enables equipment to be installed onboard to
automatically control synchronisation of the
shore power supply with ship power and allow a
smooth changeover without loss of power to any
of the onboard facilities. Transfer of power from
ship generators to the onshore supply can be
achieved in minutes, ABB reported.
The scope of equipment includes the
connection switchboard, an onboard transformer
and low voltage receiving switchboard. In the
SuperSpeed1, connection systems will be included
to enable the high voltage onshore 11kV
switchboard in Kristiansand, Norway to feed
into the ferry’s low voltage 690 V system during
its stay in port. The ABB system complies fully
with IEC, ISO and IEEE standards.
Using an onshore electrical power supply
means that local ship emissions of CO2, NOx
and SOx are virtually eliminated. The practice
also results in vessel fuel consumption being
reduced significantly, providing cost savings to
operators. This is particularly so in cases where
ships generators would otherwise be working ›››
ABB provides full ship-to-shore connection systems, which are integrated with the vessel's electrical power requirements (credit: ABB)
SuperSpeed1 will be the third Color Line vessel equipped with the ABB S2S system, following Color Magic and Color Fantasy (credit: ABB)
Complete onboard system including HV shore connection
panel and cable drum
Power outlet 6,6 kv/1kv
HV underground cable (distance 1–5km)
Shoreside transformer kiosk
Sub-station (incl. 50/60 Hz converter)
Plug in to green power
©2014 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric and ShoreBoX are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. • www.schneider-electric.com • 998-1156277_A_GB_Note3
Learn more about the shore connection technology. Download our FREE white paper and enter to WIN a Samsung Galaxy Note™ 3!Visit www.SEreply.com Key Code 46437p
Pre-designed ShoreBox solution for a lean shore connection system integration in your portCut emissions in your port the most simple and cost-efficient way:
Minimised engineering time and costs • Pre-packaged solution made of standard, proven components• Easy installation and commissioning• Easy maintenance• Compact footprint for minimum impact at berth• Available worldwide
Scalable and mobile • Minimise your energy consumption by optimising the available power• Adapt your investment to evolving power needs
Experts in onshore and onboard solutions• Benefit from more than 90 years’ experience in the marine industry• Get best-in-class performance in both your onshore and onboard shore
connection systems• Receive the support you need thanks to our worldwide presence and
standardised solutions and architectures
The ShoreBoX™ onshore solution has a minimised footprint to allow for maximum free space at berth.
Get best-in-class berth operations
Optimise your energy management and usage, and minimise your operational costs and carbon footprint with our energy management systems and services.
Onboard installation
ShoreBoX
Shore ConnectionTechnologyEnvironmental Benefits and Best Practices
Daniel Radu - Lorène GrandidierJune 2012
Environmental Benefits and Best Practices
Daniel Radu - Lorène GrandidierJune 2012
MarinePropulsion_GB_April_46437p.indd 1 4/22/14 2:36 PM
64 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
generators and switchgear
››› at low powers, and hence reduced
efficiencies, as a result of low port power
requirements. “We are providing energy-efficient
solutions to a ferry line that connects key
locations,” said Heikki Soljama, head of ABB’s
marine and cranes business unit.
ABB offers a range of transformers,
switchgear and frequency converters for S2S
power applications in addition to standard
ship power generation and distribution system
equipment. This includes UniGear ZS1 medium
voltage switchgear which is a marine version of
ABB’s air-insulated switchgear and installed in
ships and other offshore facilities worldwide.
The range is said to comply with the most
rigorous international standards, including
IEC 62271-200, and equipment is also certified
by the major class societies. Ratings are
available up to 12kV and 4,000A.
ABB’s range of dry type transformers is also
available for shipboard applications at low and
medium voltages. Suitable for S2S power, they
are popular for use in propulsion systems. A
recent example of this is an order taken in 2013
for 24 of these transformers for propulsion duty,
rated at 2,300 kVA and 480V. These are to be
installed in 12 diesel-electric powered offshore
platform supply vessels being built by Fujian
Mawei Shipbuilding in China.
Further products adding to the flexibility
of ABB’s S2S system include the PCS100
static frequency converter range. These enable
the connection of 60Hz equipment to a 50Hz
power supply or vice versa. With voltages also
converted to match load requirements, the S2S
system therefore offers the flexibility of onshore
power supply connection to service ship loads
in almost any global location with dockside
power connection facilities.
For more traditional ship power
requirements, the ABB portfolio also includes
certified marine switchgear and a range of
high voltage generators, these being custom
designed as diesel generating sets or for
operation as shaft power take-off generators.
Power outputs are up to 50 MVA at either
50Hz or 60Hz frequencies and at voltages of
up to 15kV. At present, over 1,700 ABB high
voltage synchronous generators are operating
on a wide range of vessel types. The generators
use the ABB shunt boost excitation system,
taking power from the line voltage through a
transformer with a permanent magnet exciter
to ensure secure voltage build up.
Aggreko gains RINA certificationAggreko is well established as a major supplier of
temporary site power for land-based and industrial
applications, ranging from grid support to
emergency power. It has over 50 years’ experience
in rental power and has been prominent in the
development of temporary power solutions for
shipyards and for sea going vessels.
To support its marine market operations,
Aggreko has recently gained certification
from RINA Services for the application of its
generators for temporary marine use. This
confirms that temporary installations from
Aggreko will meet necessary Solas rules for
onboard use and make it easier to demonstrate
compliance with safety requirements.
“The RINA approval certificate on an Aggreko
generator ensures compliance with onboard
safety requirements, said Pino Spadafora,
area manager for RINA Services. Speaking
for Aggreko, Maarten Martens, its business
development manager for continental Europe,
said: “This process will ensure faster and simpler
delivery of containerised diesel power generators
for planned or emergency projects.”
First marine contract for permanent magnet specialistPermanent magnet electrical generator
technology is not a new concept but, in recent
years, significant steps have been made in its
development. Applications can be seen in a
range of industries, including the expanding
wind power sector.
In January 2014, however, The Switch,
based in Vantaa, Finland, signed a contract
with WE Tech Solutions of Vaasa, to supply
four direct-drive 1.5MW permanent magnet
(PM) marine shaft generators, marking The
Switch’s first move into the marine sector.
The generators will be coupled with WE Tech
Solutions’ WE Drive system which is based on
variable speed drive technology, removing the
constraint of constant shaft speeds required
for conventional generator technology.
The Switch already supplies a range
of PM generators, motors and frequency
management systems to industrial users and
the technology is said to operate reliably in
harsh environments. The machines have
high power densities, which is attractive for
shipboard applications where installation
space is limited. Combined with the WE
Drive system, this new technology is expected
to provide increased flexibility for marine
operators combined with lower operating costs
for ship electrical networks.
Deliveries of this latest order will
commence towards the end of 2014 with
WE Tech supplying the generators and drive
systems to Tianjin Xingang Shipbuilding
Heavy Industry Co in China. They will be
installed in four post-Panamax car carriers
ordered by Wallenius Lines, with deliveries
scheduled for 2015 and 2016.
“Over the past three decades, the shaft
generator has been successfully employed on
board ships worldwide. The main advantage
is to allow main engines to use cheaper
heavy fuel oil (HFO) for electrical power
production, thereby significantly reducing
the running hours of auxiliary generators,”
explained Mårten Storbacka, managing
director of WE Tech Solutions. By combining
the variable frequency WE Drive with the PM
shaft generator, the ship’s electrical power
is generated with the same high efficiency
throughout the full speed range of the main
engine, he said, which is especially important
in electrical part loads. In addition, the WE
Drive also provides 1MW of boost power
directly to the propeller shaft to support the
main engine when required, which he said
enables a low-load optimised main engine.
“These orders show the real need for
new solutions to help seagoing vessels
significantly lower the costs of operations,
reduce maintenance needs and meet the
increasingly stringent emission regulations,”
said Mika Koli, business development
manager at The Switch. MP
Aggreko has received certification for its generators to be used for temporary marine use
Technology leaders in synchronous generator design and manufacture, Cummins Generator Technologies has a proven track record of delivering dependable power solutions for the marine market.
Marine Power Solutions with
With 50 years of experience in the marine sector, customers benefit from a comprehensive range of products under our STAMFORD® and AvK® brands. You can expect active support throughout your entire project lifecycle - including preparation of specifications, installation, testing and commissioning, after sales service and maintenance.
Our marine generators are designed to offer efficient power generation with superior durability and reliability. Whether newbuild or repower, Cummins Generator Technologies can provide the optimum solution to meet your requirements.
www.cumminsgeneratortechnologies.com
Images courtesy of Bakker Sliedrecht
|
1800_Marine Advert.indd 1 24/07/2012 12:01
66 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
I n three years’ time, the azimuthing thruster
will celebrate its golden jubilee in oceangoing
service, celebrating the installation in 1967
of two 342kW Schottel Rudderpropellers in the
tug Janus, bringing the device out of the inland
waterways by giving it a higher powered role.
But they date from 1950, since their
invention by Josef Becker, the founder of
German propulsion specialist Schottel. The first
versions were not installed in the hull in any
conventional way but were fitted on inland
vessels as an oversize outboard motor similar to
the company’s modern Navigator units.
A demonstration of the manoeuvrability
conferred by thrusters will be on show in
Hamburg in June this year at the ITS 2014 Tug,
Salvage & OSV Convention and Exhibition
when a number of tugs fitted with Schottel
thrusters will perform a ‘ballet’ in Hamburg
harbour as a finale to the convention.
Schottel will also be showcasing the latest
version of the Schottel Rudderpropeller at
the exhibition.
Today the basic concept and technology has
been adapted and improved by Schottel and
several other system makers and can be found
on an increasing number of ships of all types.
Over the years since the initial thruster was
built by Schottel, tugs and small ferries have
been joined by offshore ships and rigs as vessels
where the azimuthing thruster propulsion
system is preferred over the more conventional
propeller and rudder of other ship types.
Soon it could even be claimed that the
largest vessel in the world relies on thrusters
as the 488m FLNG Prelude now under
construction at Samsung’s yard in Geoje,
South Korea, will be fitted with three of them
as its sole means of self-propulsion. But its
thrusters are not intended to move it around
the ocean. Having no main engine of its own,
Prelude will be towed between employments
and its trio of thrusters are there for precise
and accurate manoeuvring into position
before the risers are connected.
Modern thrusters come in many forms; the
original rudderpropeller type with its Z-drive
operation is still around in large numbers but
the simple L-drive is more frequently used
and the permanently-outside thruster has
been joined by retractable and swing-up types
that are taken inside the hull when not in use
so as to reduce drag. Some thrusters are fixed,
some push and others pull. Podded propulsion
systems are thrusters where even the motor is
moved outside of the hull.
But it is the tunnel thruster that is the
most common and found on every type of
ship. Some manufacturers have developed
products that can perform as both a tunnel
thruster and an azimuthing thruster. In these
Azimuth thrusters have established a wide role during nearly half a century at sea
by Malcolm Latarche
thrusters
Thrusting towards a half century of service
With hybrid power systems being very much
a matter of debate for many ship types, it
seems somehow appropriate that for Schottel,
a pioneer of thruster development, the first
application for the new thruster it will be
showcasing at the ITS 2014 Tug, Salvage &
OSV Convention and Exhibition in Hamburg
later this year will be in a hybrid tug.
The new thrusters are a variant of the
company’s Rudderpropeller series SRP 3000
and 4000 and feature power-take-in (PTI). The
tug is the first in the ‘Efficient Double-ended
DYnamic’ (EDDY) tug and workboat series and
is being built by Holland Shipyards to a concept
design developed by Baldo Dielen Associates.
More specifically, the tug is a 30-65 type with
the numbers signifying a length of 30m and a
bollard pull of 65 tonnes.
Main power for the tug’s propulsion comes
from a pair of Mitsubishi S16R diesel main
engines coupled directly to a pair of Schottel
SRP 3000 propulsion units. With the SRP
PTI series the PTI is a permanent electric
magnet motor providing 460kW at 1,100 rpm
for manoeuvring and transit operation up to 10
knots without the main engines running. Power
for the PTI motors is provided by two Scania DI
16 diesel generators.
Because tugs are required to perform a
wide variety of tasks across their entire power
spectrum, they rarely need to operate for long
at or near the high power levels required for
optimum engine performance. The PTI solution
adapts to the task at hand. It eliminates the part
load operation from the main diesel engines
and takes over for transit and idling.
The system allows for an easy switch
between engine and PTI during tug operation so
that the power of the PTI can be added to the
diesel engine in the boost mode for maximum
bollard pull or high torque requirements at
partial loads. An additional benefit is that the
main engines can be considerably smaller in
size thus reducing capital and running costs.
The PTI option also permits a high level of
redundancy as there is an electric motor in
addition to the main diesel engine.
The EDDY tug will not be the first hybrid
tug that Schottel has had a hand in. What is
claimed as Europe’s first true hybrid tug, the
2010-built Rotor tug RT Adriaan, re-entered
service with the KOTUG fleet in the port of
Rotterdam two years ago having undergone
conversion from conventional diesel drive to a
diesel/battery hybrid with its Caterpillar engines
supplemented by a lithium-ion battery pack. A
500kW TECO-Westinghouse motor/generator
is installed in each shaftline close to the flexible
coupling of the tug’s trio of Schottel SRP 1215
FP azimuth thrusters.
Schottel’s SRP 3000 PTI thruster is one of its newest designs (credit: Schottel)
Schottel’s hybrid debut
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 67www.mpropulsion.com
versions, a retractable azimuthing thruster
can work in any orientation when extended
but when retracted into its tunnel housing
performs as a normal tunnel thruster.
Norwegian manufacturer Brunvoll claims
to have installed the first tunnel thruster
in 1965 although there may be competing
claims from elsewhere in the world. Tunnel
thrusters have proved their worth over time
in increasing manoeuvrability and – arguably
their main purpose – reducing tug usage and
associated expense.
Despite Asian dominance in shipbuilding,
thruster manufacture and development
remains mostly a European specialisation
but with some US involvement. Asian
manufacturing is not altogether missing as
Kawasaki with its Rexpeller thrusters has been
around for some time and, after installing its
first in-house produced tunnel thruster in
2005, Hyundai Heavy Industries has branched
out into azimuthing thrusters. In China also,
companies such as NGC Marine and Wuxi
Ruifeng Marine Propulsion are producing
both tunnel and propulsion thrusters.
Asian experience with thrusters has
produced one claimed ‘first’: in early 2012,
South Korean shipbuilder DSME claimed to
have carried out the world`s first on-shore
installation of an azimuth thruster. The ship
involved was Heerema’s 50,568dwt pipe lay
construction vessel Aegir. According to DSME,
this new shore based installation method
accelerated the construction schedule by
almost six months when compared to the
traditional underwater installation process.
After 50 years of use for both propulsion
and manoeuvring, thrusters are now quite
a mature technology but improvements and
innovations are still being made for all types.
Most recently this has involved rim drive
and permanent magnet technology, propeller
blade form and modifications in duct shape
aimed at achieving greater efficiency. Other
recent developments in thruster technology
have been the development of versions for
use in ice and contra-rotating propellers,
both of which come together in the Steerprop
system for a ro-pax ferry being built in Italy
by Fincantieri for Société des traversiers du
Québec (STQ).
The number of thrusters in service is
testament to their reliability and robustness
but, as with all machinery, problems and
faults will occur. Condition monitoring and
condition-based maintenance are growing
in importance in the marine industry and
thrusters have not been ignored with products
being developed specifically for use with
thrusters and for the occasions when things
do go wrong, there are also new developments
in underwater repair. MP
As more vessels are fitted with thrusters,
the likelihood of a breakdown or damage
needing urgent attention will inevitably
increase. Underwater repairs of all types are
quite commonplace today and one of the
world’s leading specialists, Antwerp-based
Hydrex, has recently launched a service
aimed at operators of ships fitted with
thrusters of any kind.
Hydrex is well known for using its
mobdocks to facilitate repairs to hulls and
the experience gained is behind the new
service. The company claims it was the first
to show that it was possible to remove and
then replace thrusters fast by creating a dry
environment underwater. Using mobdocks to
seal off the thruster tunnel, with an access
shaft protruding above the water, work teams
accessed the thruster tunnel and removed
or repaired the thruster within the tunnel in
complete safety. Hydrex has developed this
technology further using lightweight flexible
mobdocks designed to be easily transported
around the world.
In its new permanent thruster repair and
replacement system for offshore related
vessels and units, each vessel will carry its
own custom-designed mobdock supplied by
Hydrex as part of the service. The mobdock
can be included in the planning for a newbuild,
installed on a unit going to drydock or
constructed and brought onboard at any other
suitable time. With such a system on standby
any repair work to the thruster that may arise
can be dealt with much faster and more easily.
Some of the thruster related repairs recently
carried out by Hydrex include an 86m research
vessel in Congo that needed the stainless steel
belt in one of its thruster tunnels replaced. The
belt is installed around the perimeter of the
thruster tunnel at the location of the thruster
blades where the impact of the cavitation
caused by the movement of the blades is the
most severe and is designed to give extra
protection against cavitation damage.
When this suffered cracks, the underlying
steel was exposed to cavitation and the belt
needed to be replaced to prevent the thruster
tunnel from getting damaged too severely.
To facilitate the repair underwater, Hydrex
designed an open-top cofferdam that was
constructed in a local workshop in Pointe-
Noire under the supervision of the company’s
diver/technicians. At the same time a regular
shaped second cofferdam was also built.
Using the cofferdams and having drained the
tunnel, the old damaged belt was removed
and replaced with a new stainless steel belt
over a period of five days.
More recent repairs involved bow thruster
blade replacements in situ on three container
ships in Rotterdam and removal and later
replacement of the complete bow thruster
units on two other vessels in Rotterdam and
Tacoma. In the case of the thruster removals
these were done by first removing the blades
and then the thruster itself. With the vessels
sailing on normal operations between removal
and replacement it was also necessary to seal
off the tunnel from inside the vessel.
Special service speeds up repairs
Hydrex engineers guide a thruster's hub onto a workboat (credit: Hydrex)
68 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
thrusters
Wärtsilä overhauls thruster rangesDriven by what Wärtsilä describes as changing
market demands, the Finnish power and
propulsion specialist has responded by
developing new ranges of both azimuthing and
tunnel thrusters. According to Wärtsilä, its next
generation of thrusters has been developed by
using the latest calculation tools from thousands
of hours of model testing to ensure the products
are at the cutting edge of hydrodynamics.
On the propulsion front, the new Wärtsilä
Steerable Thruster (WST) series is being
introduced to replace the company's Modular
Thruster and Compact Thruster ranges. The
first models to become available are the WST-
45U and the WST-14.
The new WST-45U represents the latest
technological evolution of higher powered
units exceeding 3MW. An underwater
de-mountable thruster, it has been specifically
designed for the drilling and offshore
construction sectors but is equally suited to
other vessel types that require mounting or
exchange of thrusters afloat.
Compared with earlier models, the new
design provides the same amount of thrust from
a lower power requirement, thereby reducing
fuel cost. However, Wärtsilä also says that
mechanical improvements such as optimising
the hydrodynamic design of the lower gearbox
and incorporating an 8 degree tilt results in a
better performing, more reliable unit that does
not just reduce fuel but overall operating costs.
Based on the ABS Guide for Dynamic
Positioning Systems, a correction factor of
approximately 14 per cent on the performance
will be applied in case the DP-requirement
is based on conventional DP-capability
calculations. Already 116 units have been sold
with the maker claiming this places it at the
forefront of 8 degree tilt technology.
The second of the new models, the
WST-14, represents the latest evolution of
Wärtsilä’s series of steerable thrusters of less
than 3MW and is intended for tugs up to 45
tonne bollard pull, inland waterway vessels
and river/sea going cargo ships. This thruster
is compatible with both medium speed and
high speed (1,800 rpm) diesel engines.
By focusing on a more integrated design,
Wärtsilä says the WST-14 is more compact
than its predecessor, making it easier to
install. By improving the design performance,
extending engine compatibility to include high
speed diesel engines, providing light class
compliance and reducing the manufacturing
costs of this unit, the WST-14 series now
represents a much more competitive
proposition to the market.
In the new tunnel thruster range the first
product to be introduced to the market is the
WTT-11, which is a 1,100kW tunnel thruster
designed mainly for merchant cargo vessels
and used predominantly to manoeuvre the
vessel when mooring. Thanks to the smaller
size of the auxiliary equipment, Wärtsilä says it
is able to offer a cost effective solution which
also has a reduced footprint.
With its new range, Wärtsila believes is
can integrate both thrusters and propulsion
through one control platform, streamlining
bridge activities and optimising equipment
use. Multiple control stations can be installed
to ensure maximum flexibility. The control
system can be incorporated with Wärtsilä 3C,
which combines navigation, communication,
propulsion control and automation into one
platform with a common user interface giving
the bridge team easy access to all relevant
systems with a more simplified user interface.
The WST-45U is one of the first models in the new Wärtsilä Steerable Thruster series (credit: Wärtsilä)
Wärtsilä’s new WTT-11 tunnel thrusters (creit: Wärtsilä)
Pushing through the iceTowards the end of this year, the new 12,000gt
flagship of Canadian ferry operator Société
des Traversiers du Québec (STQ) will be
completed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri’s
Castellammare di Stabia yard.
The new ro-pax ferry will be larger and
faster than its predecessor in the STQ fleet but,
despite its larger size, the vessel will also be
more efficient and environmentally friendly
thanks in part to the pair of Steerprop SP 120
ECO CRP propulsors that will drive the vessel.
Each of the Z-drive thrusters with their
contra-rotating propellers has a power rating
of 7,000kW. Because year-round operation
involves the vessel often working in severe ice
conditions during winter, the thrusters will be
type approved to Finnish-Swedish 1 A Super
ice-class standards.
Van Voorden Castings from the Netherlands
was entrusted with producing the four stainless
steel propellers. These have diameters of 2.9m
and 3.5m and a combined weight of over 25
tonnes. Stainless steel rather than the more
normal bronze was used for the propellers
because it resulted in thinner blades and thus
an increase in performance in ice and allowed
for lower fuel consumption. Furthermore ››› ››› the stainless steel has a higher resistance to
cavitation damage than bronze. .Van Voorden
claims to be one of the very few foundries in
the world which is able to cast stainless steel
in the dimensions and quality needed for the
propellers which were surveyed and approved
by Lloyd’s Register.
The ECO CRP thrusters are not the only
products intended for use in ice infested
waters to be supplied by Steerprop. The
company was also contracted to deliver main
propulsion systems for three icebreakers of
the Russian Federal Agency of Marine and
River Transportation from United Shipbuilding
Corp. Two of these icebreakers will be built in
the Vyborg shipyard in Russia and one in the
Arctech shipyard in Helsinki, Finland.
Steerprop is delivering two SP 110 ARC
PULL units for each of the icebreakers. The
units will have a power rating of 9,000kW each
and each will be classified according to the
Icebreaker 7 rating of the Russian Maritime ›››
A pair of Steerprop SP 120 ECO CRP will power STQ’s new ferry (credit: Steerprop)
180EOZC 180 kW
KohlerMarine.com | 877.910.8349
The big tow, the crew, the passion to conquer Mother Nature. That and your KOHLER® commercial marine generators are what keep you on the water. Giving you the power to conquer anything,
no matter what you’re up against.
C O N Q U E R O R est. 1922
110306_WaterwaysAD_v1.indd 1 11/19/12 3:56 PM
REINTJES Hybrid-Systems –The best choice for your vessel!
REINTJES hybrid systems are ideal for slow-speed operation and enhance the effi ciency of your propulsion system.
They are suited for fi xed-pitch propellers and available for electric motors from 60 kW to 100 kW. The complete package comprises the gearbox and a combined electric motor and generator as well as a frequency converter – all components come from REINTJES.
Feel free to contact us, we also have a “green” solution for your vessel!
REINTJES GmbH | Eugen-Reintjes-Straße 7 | 31785 Hamelin | GermanyPhone +49 51 51/104-0 | Fax +49 51 51/104-300 | www.reintjes-gears.de
WAF 562 RHS1,200 kW at 2,100 rpm
Visit us at• Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo,
Amsterdam
Marine Propulsion_90x274_April_Mai_.indd 1 14.03.14 09:21
70 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
thrusters
››› Register of Shipping. Steeprop claims that
they will be the most powerful mechanical
azimuth propulsors in the world at their time
of delivery. The first shipset was planned to be
delivered to the shipyard in Vyborg as this issue
went to press the following two shipsets three
months and six months later.
Sensing problems saves cashLike all rotating or reciprocating machinery,
thrusters are subject to wear and require
regular maintenance. Being outside of the
hull in most instances they are also exposed
to other risks of damage, making them
exactly the type of machinery that will
benefit from continuous monitoring and this
has been recognised by some makers and
third party specialists.
Wärtsilä is an example of a manufacturer
that has applied condition monitoring across
the full range of its products from engines to
propellers and has been providing a service
for its thrusters for around five years now. The
company’s Propulsion Condition Monitoring
Service (PCMS) began as a retrofit option but
is now standard on most of its thruster supply
contracts. PCMS is not limited to thrusters
alone and can also be used on podded systems
– which some consider to be different from
thrusters – and to conventional controllable
pitch propellers.
Within the system, accelerometers are
used to monitor the condition of mechanical
parts, such as gears and bearings and can
also detect, for example, blade damage.
A single PCMS system is devoted to each
thruster or other propulsion component
and can process up to 16 accelerometers
simultaneously. Lubrication and hydraulic
oils are monitored by measuring
temperature, the oil-water saturation and
any oil contamination.
On a ship with many thrusters and
perhaps a conventional propeller/rudder
also in operation, the system gathers and
shows information from all the PCMS
cabinets on the vessel. It can give real-time
and trend values and advise the operator in
case of irregularities. It has been developed
to detect the operational states by real-
time comparisons of parameters from
multiple sources. For example, the vibration
measurements are linked to the operational
condition of the vessel. If an operational state
causes severe vibration, the PCMS will advise
how to rectify the situation.
Each day a data package of the day’s
monitoring is sent to Wärtsilä’s Condition
Based Maintenance centre. There the data is
automatically processed and, in the event of
irregularities, the propulsion specialist will
ZF Marine Krimpen has been designated
as the Global Competence Centre for
commercial azimuth thruster technology
within ZF’s Marine Business Unit. The Dutch
company produces a wide range of steerable
and transverse thrusters, covering a range
between 100kW and 2,000kW, with electric,
diesel or hydraulic drive systems.
Among its latest deliveries is Anna-B,
which it describes as a versatile multi-
purpose workboat with dynamic
positioning capabilities. It is powered by
four ZF thrusters, with no conventional
shaft installations or tunnel thrusters.
At the bow are two shallow draught
thrusters, type ZF SDT 4010 FP, each rated
at 250kW, which are driven by electric
motors and a drive system specially built by
ZF Marine Krimpen. At the stern are two
well-mounted azimuth thrusters, type ZF AT
6311 WM-FP, of 1,140kW each and driven by
Caterpillar engines.
The vessel has dynamic positioning
capabilities, which will be described in more
detail in a dynamic positioning feature in the
next issue of Marine Propulsion. MP
take action. Once a month, the customer
receives a PCMS report describing the
condition of his equipment. Most data
analysis is automated.
Although the system can identify major
problems and alert operators to take instant
action to prevent damage, its main benefit
is identifying problems that build gradually
and allow appropriate action to be planned
and implemented before a catastrophic
failure takes place.
Having the system on a vessel can also
allow for extended time between overhauls
and in some instances allow five-yearly visual
inspections required by class to be waived.
A similar service is offered by the German
third party specialist Condition Monitoring
Technologies (CMT). Being independent,
CMT’s service is not confined to one
manufacturer’s products but can cover all
brands and types of thruster providing a
useful option for ships that have equipment
from different makers installed on board.
The CMT service operates in the same
way as Wärtsilä’s PCMS, monitoring oil
temperature and condition and using
sensors to detect vibration caused by wear
or other system fault or damage. The fully
automated system is said to be ideal for
both newbuildings and retrofits as it can be
easily combined with any existing thruster
and ship management systems to create
a single master system. CMT’s system is
also approved by leading class societies as
meeting their condition-based maintenance
(CBM) requirements and can therefore
contribute to operating costs by removing
the need for scheduled overhauls.
Services and systems providing condition
monitoring of thrusters are not confined
to the two companies mentioned, as most
leading thruster makers offer some degree of
condition monitoring. Major manufacturers,
especially those that have products other
than thrusters that also benefit from CBM
regimes, will provide the type of shore-based
expert analysis service described above. For
smaller organisations, it may be left for
ships crews and the manufacturer’s service
engineers to interpret data retained on board.
CMT’s thruster monitor checks a number of parameters to detect vibration and other faults (credit: CMT)
ZF Marine lifts Krimpen’s profile
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 71www.mpropulsion.com
BRUNVOLL – the singlesource supplier of thrustersystems
• Tunnel Thrusters• Azimuth Thrusters• Low-Noise Thrusters• Rim Driven Thrusters• Thruster Control Systems
Refined and proven conceptsteamed up with supremetechnical solutions ensureslow life cycle costs
A successful story...Thruster Systems from BRUNVOLL
Brunvoll’s operation is dedicated tothrusters, and we supply and servicecomplete thruster packages
We take fullresponsibilityfor your thrusterneeds, includingdrive system packages
BRUNVOLLStrandgata 4-6,N-6415 MoldeTlf. +47 71219600
e-mail: [email protected]
Brunvoll Profile Advert 2009:Layout 1 16-04-09 15:20 Side 1
(SIMPSON INT UK LTD/HOLSTEN ENGINEERING VISCOUS DAMPERS)
Metaldyne Oct13_Layout 1 30/09/2013 09:01 Page 1
HT Series
JT Series
Low SubmergenceRequirement
Small Hull Penetrations
Auxiliary Propulsion/“Take Home” Capability
Effective Thrust in Currents
Proudly Madein the USA!Waterjet Bow/Stern Thrusters
Up to 2,200HP
UNCOMPROMISEDCONTROL
text
72 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com72 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
W aterjets are based on a pump,
which can be grouped from pure
axial designs (delivering a high
flow at a low pressure) to pure radial
designs (generating a low flow at a high
pressure). For a high thrust output, a
waterjet needs to generate both a high
flow through the jet system and a high
pressure, dictating a pump with mixed-
flow properties.
A unique feature claimed for the Wärtsilä
axial flow waterjet is that it delivers the
mixed flow properties required but in a
pure axial geometry. A significant advantage
results as the water follows the optimum flow
path straight through the pump instead of
partly travelling in a radial direction before
exiting at the nozzle.
Axial waterjets primarily target
applications with vessel maximum speeds
up to 50-55 knots, Wärtsilä explained;
above that level axial jets should not be
used and a more radial-shaped mixed-flow
pump adopted to give better results. For
such extremely high speed applications,
the group offers its E-series waterjets
based on a non-axial pump, which address
applications calling for very high power
densities and vessel design speeds up to
70 knots.
Among the merits cited for axial jets are
compactness, high efficiency, low weight,
wider cavitation margin, higher shaft speed
reducing torque, and low forces transferred to
the vessel structure. The shaft speed depends
on the jet size and the power applied; a small
jet at high power can run at 2,000 rpm, a
large jet at 200 rpm.
Wärtsilä’s axial pump design is available
as a pre-assembled unit for smaller jets up to
around 4,500kW; the inlet duct is included
in the kit and the unit is delivered on a
skid with all auxiliary systems pre-mounted.
Larger jets extend to units rated up to 26MW.
The US Navy’s Joint High Speed Vessel and
Littoral Combat Ship programmes are among
notable Wärtsilä projects.
Last year saw Wärtsilä’s axial waterjet
references extended by a prestigious
installation driving the world’s fastest
high speed ferry. The 99m-long catamaran
Francisco, built by Incat Tasmania for the
South American operator Buquebus with
capacity for 1,000 passengers and 150 cars,
is deployed between Uruguay and Argentina.
A lightship speed of 58.1 knots was
achieved on trials by the twin GE LM2500
gas turbine-driven Wärtsilä LJX1720SR axial
waterjets, although a service speed of 50
knots is adopted for the River Plate crossing.
The 22MW turbines are arranged to burn
marine diesel or LNG. An impressive power
input can be absorbed by the relatively small
waterjets, whose compact dimensions allowed
installation within the ferry’s transom, saving
valuable space.
Effective and reliable control of the
waterjets in manoeuvring the vessel
is assigned to Wärtsilä’s Lipstronic 7000
propulsion control system. The system both
controls and indicates the steering angle,
bucket position and impeller speed, and can
Across the board developments maintain the attraction of waterjets for applications ranging from wind farm support vessels to warships
by Doug Woodyard
Jets tailor thrust for niche markets
waterjets
Wärtsilä LJX1720SR axial waterjets drive the ferry Francisco
at speeds up to 58 knots
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 73www.mpropulsion.com
be operated via either joystick control or
autopilot. A built-in redundancy underwrites
robustness and safety.
A significant business boost for Australia-
based Doen Waterjets is anticipated from a
recent agreement between Doen Pacific and
Thrustmaster of Texas enabling the US thruster
specialist to expand its production programme
with waterjets. Thrustmaster will exploit part
of a manufacturing facility in Houston, which
benefited from an investment of US$ 40 million
in 2009, to produce Doen jets for sale in North/
South America and Europe.
Field support will come from a Thrustmaster
global sales and service network that includes
Houston, Houma, Rotterdam, Singapore,
Dubai, Brazil and India.
Evolved over almost 50 years, Doen
Waterjets’ portfolio has hitherto embraced 13
models covering an input power range from
100kW to 4,000kW for leisure, commercial
and military vessel propulsion. Speeds of up
to 45 knots are reportedly combined with
‘exceptional’ low speed thrust and load-
carrying capability. Three axial flow design
programmes – the DJ100, 200 and 300 series –
have been offered, with different options and
installation methods to suit diverse hull forms
and structures.
Targeting larger commercial applications,
however, Thrustmaster plans to introduce
two new models – the 400 and 450 series –
extending the power input range to 6,400kW.
The Thrustmaster Doen line-up will then cover:
• 100 Series waterjets available in seven
model sizes with input ratings from 100kW
to 900kW for vessels from 6m to 20m in
length, supported by simple mechanical and
electronic control system options;
• 200 Series waterjets available in four
stainless steel model sizes from 400kW
to 2,500kW for vessels from 15m to 45m
in length, supported by a full range of
electronic controls with joystick docking;
• 300 Series waterjets available in two
stainless steel model sizes from 1,300kW
to 4,000kW for vessels from 30m to 60m
in length, supported by a full range of
electronic controls with joystick docking;
• 400 Series waterjets available in two model
sizes from 100kW to 6,400kW for large
vessels, supported by a range of electronic
controls with joystick docking.
Finnish contender Alamarin-Jet’s new 245
waterjet design features a reportedly unique
Combi-Frame construction that allows
installation either outside or inside the hull.
Vessel designers are thus able to optimise
weight distribution and engine location;
an over-sized inspection hatch can also be
arranged outside or inside the vessel to
ease maintenance. In addition, the Combi-
Frame is said to simplify installation when
repowering from another waterjet type or
from a sterndrive system. Long and short tail
applications are facilitated.
Other design features highlighted by
Alamarin-Jet – all simplifying installation
and operation – are an integrated hydraulic
steering cylinder compatible with common
helm pumps, an integrated hydraulic cylinder
for reverse deflector control, an integrated
hydraulic oil cooler and a replaceable conical
stainless steel impeller wear ring. A special
stator and steering nozzle design contribute
to an ‘exceptionally good’ steering response.
With an axial flow single-stage pump,
the aluminium/stainless steel jet is suitable
for drives from engines with outputs up to
235kW and maximum speeds of 4,600 rpm
for the impeller shaft; the impeller has a
maximum diameter of 245mm. A forward
bollard pull up to 8kN can be generated,
fostering high cavitation limits, while the
reverse pulling force is considered high at
some 60 per cent of the forward thrust. MP
Castoldi expands its Turbodrive rangeItalian specialist Castoldi is developing what
will be the largest model in its Turbodrive
programme, which currently includes the 238,
240HC, 282, 340HC, 400HC and 490HC
models. (The nomenclature indicates the
impeller inlet diameter in millimetres and
HC denotes the incorporation of a hydraulic
clutch). The continuous duty power ratings
for fast vessel propulsion covered by the
series range from 184kW to 1,103kW, while
intermittent duty ratings extend from 250kW
to 1,324kW.
The new 600HC model will be based on the
company’s established technology but exploiting
what the company’s founder, Giacomo Castoldi,
described as “a new and revolutionary design”
that cannot yet be unveiled.
Some details can be reported, however:
the pump will be a three-bladed, single-stage
axial flow type and the impeller diameter will
be 600mm at the inlet. An integrated gearbox
will be offered with a choice of 25 reduction
gear ratios. A dry unit weight of 1,580kg
will include the gearbox, hydraulic clutch,
anodes, levers, water intake, grid and duct.
Maximum power inputs will be 1,985kW
(intermittent duty) and 1,655kW (continuous
duty); single-, twin-, triple- and quadruple-
jet installations will respectively serve fast
vessels with maximum displacements of
28-34 tonnes, 70-84 tonnes, 120-143 tonnes
and 207 tonnes.
An integrated electrically-operated multi-
disc hydraulic clutch will enable disconnecting
and connecting of the waterjet impeller while
the engine is idling. A special light and
compact hydraulically-actuated Castoldi Twin
Duct reversing bucket system will deliver 75
per cent of the forward static thrust. Steering
will be hydraulically actuated via a special
nozzle integrated in a protective bowl.
Optimisation of the full range continues
to be pursued and Mr Castoldi cited a new
tail design, now installed on all models, for
reducing turbulence and improving steering
efficiency, along with new control panels of a
more functional design and integration of the
position-keeping function in the company’s
ACES electronic control system.
Among current commitments, Castoldi is
supplying eighty Turbodrive 400HC waterjets
for an Indian Navy fast intervention craft
programme, the 15m-long vessels having a
speed of 47 knots. The contract is the largest
secured by the company in recent years.
Castoldi also stresses its role as a
boatbuilder, manufacturing a 17-model
range of Jet Tenders from 4.2m to 10m
in length and including two Solas rescue
boats. The business provides a valuable
opportunity to test waterjets and provide
feedback on their performance and reliability
in service.
Quadruple Wärtsilä jet sets serve US Navy Freedom-class trimaran Littoral Combat Ships
waterjets
74 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
A wide spectrum of market opportunities
can be targeted by Rolls-Royce with a
Kamewa waterjet programme ranging
from the FF-series of small models through
aluminium A3 to stainless steel S3 designs.
The portfolio has extended to the new
Axial Mk 1 waterjet with an input power
rating of 22MW which will be fitted to
future Freedom variants of Littoral Combat
Ships from Lockheed Martin for the US
Navy. The first four examples will drive
USS Milwaukee (LCS5), launched at the
Marinette Marine yard in December, at
speeds exceeding 40 knots. Extended full-
scale sea trials of the jets are planned to
benefit subsequent deliveries.
Developed in co-operation with the US
Office of Naval Research since 2007, the
advanced axial flow jet has a throughput
almost 500,000 gallons of water per minute
to yield more thrust per unit than current
commercial designs. More cavitation-free
performance is also promised for its size and
power than any other waterjet. Production
is based at Rolls-Royce facilities in the USA.
The A3 series waterjet range was strengthened
by new 25A3, 28A3 and 63A3 models, whose
features include a mixed-flow fully stainless
steel pump, an integrated aluminium inlet duct
and inboard hydraulics and thrust bearing.
Larger vessels can now exploit a modular
configuration for easier installation of the jets;
the largest model – the 63A3 – has an input
power rating of over 2,500kW.
A higher efficiency translates into lower
fuel consumption for a given workload; a
reduction in size, weight and life-cycle costs
is also claimed over rival designs in the
same power band. A compact bucket system
yields a reversing thrust of 65 per cent
of the maximum ahead thrust to enhance
manoeuvrability, while superior station
keeping at zero speed makes the jets suitable
for dynamic positioning operations.
New modular interceptor trim tabs
can be specified for the largest A3 series
models, bolted directly on the unit with their
associated hydraulics and control panels for
electronics. Easily retrofitted by bolts, the
trim system improves acceleration and low
speed characteristics as well as facilitating
trim angle adjustment.
Fast ferries are candidates for Kamewa
A3 series aluminium jets, the reference
list recently extended by the 44.7m-long
Kilimanjaro IV, the seventh of the type
designed by Australia’s Incat Crowther for
Coastal Fast Ferries of Tanzania. Built in
Tasmania by Richardson Devine Marine, the
606-passenger catamaran has a loaded service
speed of 35 knots and a maximum speed of 38
knots from four 50A3 waterjets.
Wind farm support tonnage represents
another valuable business source, typified by
orders from the UK’s Seacat Services for three
24m-long aluminium catamarans from South
Boats IOW in southern England. Speeds up
to 30 knots are yielded by twin 56A3 jets,
each driven by a V12-cylinder MTU Series
2000 M72 engine. Similar outfits will serve
26m-long vessels for the same operator.
Kamewa 40A3 jets were selected for the
15.2m-long commuter yacht Rhode Island,
built by New England Boatworks in the USA
with a pair of 1,150kW diesel-driven jets
delivering a speed close to 60 knots.
Crew transfer boats for offshore installations
are well served by waterjet propulsion in
terms of speed and manoeuvrability, Rolls-
Royce citing the 18m-long Leicon CTV9 as an
example. With a crew of two and capacity
for 32 passengers, the aluminium catamaran
supports oil and gas activities off the coast
of Western Australia. Twin 650kW diesel
engines driving 36A3 jets delivered a speed of
32.1 knots when loaded with fuel and water
and 16 passengers; the contract speed of 26
knots was achieved at 65 per cent maximum
continuous rating.
Retrofit installations are also facilitated, a
recent project calling for the removal of propellers,
shafts and rudders from the fast catamaran ferry
Trondheimsfjord 1 and replacement with a pair
of 50A3 waterjets and associated Rolls-Royce
Compact Control system.
The last of a series of six Kamewa-driven
Baynunah-class corvettes for the UAE Navy
was completed in February by Abu Dhabi
Ship Building. A derivative of CMN’s BR70
design – the French yard built the first-of-
class – the 71.3m-long deep-V hard-chine
steel hull with a relatively shallow draught
has an aluminium superstructure.
An unusual CODAD propulsion system
embraces four V16-cylinder MTU Series 595
TE90 diesel engines (each delivering 4,200kW
at 1,800 rpm) arranged to drive three Kamewa
waterjets through Renk transmissions. Each
outer engine is linked to a 112SII jet via an
AUSL gearbox while the central engine pair
drives a 125B11 jet via a twin-input/single-
output ASL 2 x 115 gearbox.
Such a configuration enables the centre
jet to be driven at continuous maximum
power by two engines or at partial load by
just one engine; control of the centre gear
unit with one or two engines engaged is
fully automatic. A maximum speed of 32
knots-plus is reported with all four engines
deployed, and a range of 2,400 nautical miles
delivered at the cruising speed of 15 knots.
A new high-efficiency waterjet under
development by Rolls-Royce is intended for
propelling a US Navy unmanned surface
craft. The smallest from the designer to
date, with a diameter of 100mm, the jet is
required to drive the craft quietly on remotely-
controlled missions, undertaking intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance roles.
The X-class Modular Unmanned Surface
Craft Littoral (MUSCL) aims to reduce risk to
manned forces as well as taking on tedious and
repetitive tasks. Providing thrust to drive the
craft at speeds over 25 knots and sustain cruising
at 15 knots, the waterjets will form part of an
innovative small propulsion system development
project funded by the US government and led by
Candent Technologies Inc. MP
Kilimanjaro IV has a maximum speed of 38 knots from four Kamewa 50A3 waterjets (credit: Incat Crowther)
Rolls-Royce’s Kamewa serves a broad marketAn expanded Kamewa range finds references from naval to passenger vessels
When you command a vessel in the Navy, Coast Guard or
border police, you know that superior speed and power
are crucial. Up on the bridge, you want ease of operation
and instant response, because seconds and inches can
make the difference between success and failure.
Our waterjet systems have repeatedly proven their
utility in the toughest military encounters. Every MJP
component is developed to optimize performance in the
full range of governmental applications – from small
craft to ships.
So when push comes to shove, you know you’ve got
the best there is.
In my job, I want to know I’ve got the better boat
marinejetpower.com
Meet us at Seawork International.
MJP_C_MarinePropulsion_210x297.indd 1 2014-04-09 15.05
76 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
waterjets
E xperience gained in designing and
producing waterjets since 1954 is applied
by New Zealand-based HamiltonJet in
refining a portfolio which currently includes
designs for power inputs from 150kW to
3,000kW for vessels up to 60m long.
The HJ series of smaller jets, embracing eight
models with impeller diameters from 200mm to
400mm, are typically suitable for vessels of 6-20m
in length; larger applications are served by the
HM series, whose seven models with impeller
diameters from 420mm to 810mm generally
address 18-60m craft with two or more engines.
Fast offshore crewboats have traditionally
provided business for HamiltonJet, its references
extended last year by the delivery of the 58m-long
catamarans Seacor Lynx and Seacor Leopard from
the Gulf Craft yard, the third and fourth of
Seacor Marine’s CrewZer class. A service speed
of 40 knots on a deadweight of over 120 tonnes
and a maximum speed of 42 knots is secured by
a propulsion plant based on four V16-cylinder
MTU Series 4000 M73L engines, each driving an
HT-810 waterjet.
Due for delivery in May is the first of two
54m-long fast support vessels for Seacor Marine
from the Neuville Boat Works in Louisiana; seating
for up to 83 passengers is provided along with cargo
tankage and a deck freight capacity of 196 tonnes.
Four Cummins QSK50-M engines, each
developing 1,325kW at 1,800 rpm, will drive
Hamilton HT811 waterjets via Twin Disc
gearboxes with a reduction ratio of 2.58:1.
Speeds up to 30 knots are promised from the
quadruple-jet installation.
Now building at Incat Tasmania is the world’s
largest waterjet-propelled high speed crewboat,
heading a 70m-long class for operations in the
Caspian Sea. Space is arranged for 150 passengers
and 14 crew, along with 200 tonnes of deck cargo.
The semi-SWATH vessel – also HamiltonJet’s
largest reference to date – will be powered by four
2,880kW MTU engines driving 900mm-diameter
HT900 jets. A maximum speed of 36 knots and
an efficient service speed of 30 knots at full
load and 90 per cent mcr will reportedly make
the craft more cost-effective to deploy than
helicopter transfer of crew and cargo.
Four control stations will each exploit
HamiltonJet’s Modular Electronic Control
System, integrated with DNV Dynpos-AUTR
dynamic positioning. The waterjets are said to
work particularly well in DP-capable craft, where
the powerful 360-degree thrust forces generated
by the jet’s split duct reverse deflector at any
vessel speed effectively act as an azimuth thruster.
The effect of the waterjet’s manoeuvring thrust
is further enhanced by the wide spacing of the jet
units in a catamaran configuration – two jets per
hull – which yields even better control of the stern
and can even assist with sideways movement of
the bow. This low speed manoeuvrability boost has
helped its waterjets secure dominance in the fast
crewboat arena, HamiltonJet asserts.
Hitherto the largest vessel to be specified
with HamiltonJet units, the 68.5m-long Gulf
Craft-built monohull crewboat Ms Netty, also
designed by Incat Crowther, features quadruple
HT900 jets for a maximum speed of 32 knots.
HamiltonJet’s largest waterjet model, the
HT1000, has yet to be specified for a crewboat
but has reportedly proven its worth in patrol
boat propulsion. The company is confident of
sustaining business as crewboat designs develop
further in size.
Fast offshore supply vessel propulsion is also
targeted by Swedish specialist Marine Jet Power,
whose recent projects included quadruple-MJP
650 CSU waterjet outfits for a pair of 53m-long
FSVs ordered by Rodi Marine Services from
Swiftships Shipbuilders. The 31-knot vessels are
scheduled for service with the Louisiana-based
operator in first-half 2014.
Marine Jet Power offers a full line of stainless
steel and aluminium jets with mixed or axial
flow pump technologies, absorbing engine
power inputs from 112kW to 15MW with intake
diameters from 250mm to 1,550mm. Single-,
twin-, triple- and quadruple-sets cover a wide
range of vessel demands.
Among current commitments are twin-MJP
DRB 400 jet systems for a series of 19m-long
aluminium-hulled patrol boats commissioned
by a south east Asia government from Lung
Teh Shipbuilding in Taiwan. The first is due for
handover early next year. Driven by 1,215kW
MAN high speed engines, the jets are expected to
achieve a vessel speed of around 50 knots. Waterjet
propulsion – valued for shallow draught operations
– will also facilitate a beaching capability.
Medium-size DRB series jets are described as
of heavy duty design, fostering low maintenance
and high reliability, while their high efficiency
mixed flow pumps deliver a high maximum
speed and low fuel consumption.
Lung Teh’s order backlog includes a 60m
missile catamaran for the Taiwan Navy which
will be equipped with quadruple MJP CSU 850
waterjets. CSU jets are larger, mixed flow, all-
stainless steel units backed by a five-year warranty.
Last October Marine Jet Power was selected as
the preferred waterjet supplier for the South Korean
Navy’s multi-vessel gas turbine-powered PKX-B
patrol boat project; it earlier partnered a Korean
company in securing contracts to supply other Navy
and Coastguard programmes. The latest project will
enable MJP to enhance its local manufacturing and
service capabilities in South Korea.
Marine Jet Power’s thrust in the smaller
waterjet arena was strengthened in 2012 by
acquiring the relevant interests of the UK/USA-
based Ultra Dynamics, adding the popular Ultrajet
aluminium axial flow series to its programme. MP
Crewboats extend waterjet references
Final assembly of a HamiltonJet HT900 waterjet
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 77www.mpropulsion.com
SINCE 1962 LEAPS AHEAD IN MARINE PRODUCTS www.castoldijet.com
Unique advanced technology
lNTEGRATED GEAR BOX - MULTI DISC HYDRAULIC CLUTCH - HYDRODINAMICALLY PROFILED DEBRIS SCREEN GRID WITH
DOUBLE MOVEMENT - DUPLEX MICRO-CASTED 3 BLADES AXIAL FLOW IMPELLER - TITANIUM LlNER ON IMPELLER HOUSING
- HARD ANODIZING TREATMENT OF ALUMINUM PARTS - ALL OIL LUBRICATED BEARINGS - REMOTE OIL LEVEL CONTROL.
FOR THE HIGHEST EFFICIENCY AT SPEED, LlGHTEST WEIGHT AND MOST COMPACT INSTALLATION.
CRANKSHAFTDeflectionIndicatorDI-5C
✓Accuracy✓Accessibility✓Safety Benefits ✗ Indicator clocks
TIME´S UP
010
10
20
20
30
30
40
40
50
50
60
60
70
70
NO MORECLOCKSMADE IN SWEDEN
33 Venture Way Braeside 3195, Victoria, Australia6900 Thrustmaster Drive Houston, TX 77041
DOEN.comTHRUSTMASTER.net
textAnnual Marine Propulsion Conference and Awards
A t Riviera’s Annual Marine Propulsion
Conference and Awards, MAN Diesel &
Turbo’s Ole Grøne was recognised with
a lifetime achievement award.
At a glittering ceremony in London Mr Grøne
collected his award from Riviera chairman, John
Labdon, in front of more than 200 industry
friends and colleagues.
In a glowing tribute featuring messages from
colleagues all over the world, Mr Grøne was
commended for both his technical knowledge
and understanding of the marine market. His
talent for explaining complex concepts in a clear
and engaging manner was also recognised as
was the pioneering work he has done in driving
advances in the marine engineering field as
well as the contribution he has made to the
general body of marine engineering industry
knowledge. It is perhaps no surprise Mr Grøne is
affectionately known as ‘Mr Diesel’ throughout
the maritime industry.
Collecting the award, (the second of the
night for MAN Diesel & Turbo, having also
been recognised in the evening’s Fuel Efficiency
category) a typically modest Mr Grøne paid
tribute to the teams he had worked with and
said it had been his privilege to communicate
their successes. He also joked that anyone who
thought the award meant he was retiring was
very much mistaken!
Other winners on the night were DFDS
and Wärtsilä. DFDS won the Environmental
Performance Award. DFDS’ director of
sustainability and environmental affairs,
Poul Woodall, collected the award on
behalf of the Danish operator. The accolade
was given in recognition of DFDS’ many
initiatives over the past year as well as its
sizeable financial commitments to improving
the environmental performance of the fleet
it operates.
The director of Wärtsilä’s technology
development programme, Mikael Troberg,
collected the Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary
Machinery Marine Engineering Award. This
explicitly recognised Wärtsilä for its RT-flex50DF
engine technology.
The fuel efficiency, environmental
performance and marine engineering award
were determined by online industry vote. The
lifetime achievement award was selected by
Riviera’s editorial staff alone.
The awards are an annual fixture of the
marine propulsion conference and information
on the 2015 awards will be available via
www.marinepropulsionconference.com and
through the pages of this journal.
Industry’s ‘Mr Diesel’ recognised at gala dinner
Serge Dal Farra (Total Lubmarine) opened the awards and presented the winners’ trophies
80 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
NOx and SOx control
A t some point in the future, shipowners
may find that they have to face up to
new regulations other than EEDI or
even levies on output of CO2 but thankfully for
them there appear to be many obstacles for the
IMO and other regulatory bodies to clear before
that situation arises. In the meantime, operators
have more pressing matters to deal with as
regards other exhaust gases.
Of these, the one that is occupying minds
most is the advent next January of the final
sulphur limit reduction in ECAs to 0.1 per cent.
Then, as things stand, there will be only one
more reduction in sulphur levels to face and that
is the far more difficult cut to 0.5 per cent from
the current 3.5 per cent limit in the open oceans.
Another is the issue of NOx which, after the
surprise decision of MEPC 65 to push the Tier
III implementation date back by five years, was
high on the agenda of MEPC 66, taking place as
this issue went to press.
That has pushed NOx towards the back
burner, making future sulphur limits the bigger
issue of the two. The concerns are over both the
available technology and the future availability
of suitable fuels.
As far as the transition to the 0.1 per cent
limit in the Baltic and North Sea SECA is
concerned, there has been a degree of a managed
change brought about by an EU directive that
applies a similar level on vessels in port. That
said, most ships would have been running only
auxiliaries during port stays and they tend to be
mostly burning MDO or MGO in any case, but
when the IMO ECA limit comes into force it will
apply to ships transiting the areas as well.
In the two ECAs in American waters, the
transition will be sudden and clear-cut in
most ports and could well come as a shock to
operators of ships that have not yet experienced
the financial and operational ramifications of
the reduction from 1.0 per cent to 0.1 per cent.
Ships that trade between the EU and the US
would already be aware of the matter although
the additional cost of compliance at both ends of
the voyage will inevitably have an impact.
As things stand there are just two ways
to reduce SOx levels – burning fuel with
a low or no sulphur content or installing
a scrubber. The first option has many
potential solutions with LNG and dual-fuel
engines being one, although even the most
enthusiastic proponents of LNG will admit
that it is unsuited to most existing vessels
and, even for newbuildings, would require a
massive investment in infrastructure.
While it would certainly solve the sulphur
issue, the use of LNG is supposed to have
other benefits and its use is being promoted
for a variety of reasons that not all within the
industry fully agree with. Time will tell if LNG
does become a fuel of choice or whether it enjoys
a brief spike and then fades into obscurity.
The low sulphur fuel oil or distillate choices
are the other fuel alternatives to LNG for
existing vessels and newbuilds alike but, while
they present an easy temporary fix on a practical
level, the cost is very likely going to be an issue
that will force many to look long and hard at
installing a scrubber. More importantly there are
doubts as to whether sufficient quantities will
be available to meet deadlines. The International
Chamber of Shipping is posing this question
once again at MEPC 66 and asking for the review
into the availability of appropriate fuels in time
for future deadlines to begin immediately and
without further delay.
Putting a price on meeting the sulphur
emission standards is a complex task and one
fraught with uncertainties. As reported in the
last issue of Marine Propulsion, an attempt to
do this was made in January at the opening of
the new Alfa Laval Test and Training Centre in
Aalborg where scrubber technology was at the
core of the day’s events.
A presentation by Tamio Kawashima,
managing director of Monohakobi Technology
Institute (MTI), a subsidiary company of NYK
Line, about the likely cost of the 0.5 per cent
global cap on sulphur gave a great deal of food
for thought. According to Kawashima, the cost
for a world fleet of just 40,000 ships with a
consumption of 50 tonnes per day for 200 days
per year each and a price differential of US$300
between present fuel oil and low sulphur or
distillate fuels would equate to an extra US$120
billion on the fuel bill each year.
That is a staggering sum and yet it is difficult
to argue with Kawashima’s figures for they are
easily recognised as being perhaps a little on the
conservative side.
Mr Kawashima also addressed the criticism
of wash water from scrubbers being discharged
at sea. He pointed out that the sea already has a
natural sulphur content and, although the annual
amount of sulphur that might be discharged
if every ship was fitted with a scrubber and
continued burning standard fuel oil would be
as high as 9 million tonnes per year, that would
be only 0.00000072 per cent of the naturally
occurring sulphur in sea water. At that rate it
As shipowners prepare for emissions reductions in the near future, SOx and NOx control are high on the agenda
by Malcolm Latarche
Facing up to reality
MARPOL ANNEX VI SOX LIMITS
Outside an ECA established to limit SOx and particulate matter emissions
Inside an ECA established to limit
SOx and particulate matter emissions
4.50 per cent m/m prior to 1 January 2012
1.50 per cent m/m prior to 1 July 2010
3.50 per cent m/m on and after 1 January 2012
1.00 per cent m/m on and after 1 July 2010
0.50 per cent m/m on and after 1 January 2020*
0.10 per cent m/m on and after 1 January 2015
*alternative date is 2025, to be decided by a review in 2018
North American ECA
North Sea ECA
4 w
est
5 w
est
62 North
Operators should be aware of the differing attitudes in the North American and European SECAs (credit: Oceanox)
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 81www.mpropulsion.com
would take almost 1.4 million years to raise the
natural sulphur level by a single percentage point.
Those facts may not help deflect criticism by
environmentalists over the discharge of wash
water direct into the oceans but Kawashima
is not alone in raising the issue and asking for
some slack to be given by regulators. In early
March, Patrick Verhoeven, secretary general
of the European Community Shipowners'
Associations (ECSA) opened the Clean Shipping
Conference during Baltic Transport Week in
Gdansk, Poland.
In his opening address, Mr Verhoeven covered
the issues facing shipowners and highlighted
the fact that installing a scrubber involved
a large financial commitment and, in these
uncertain times, commercial financing cannot
be easily obtained in present market conditions.
He added that at least 15 studies have been
produced on the economic implications of
which a substantial majority predict significant
negative consequences for shipowners, ports
and regional industries.
Mr Verhoeven said the business case for
certain shipping routes in the European SECA
area is already marginal and the slightest cost
increase could mean the end of profitability.
Many shipping companies will therefore
not be able to absorb these extra costs and
will have to charge them to the user, the
shipper. He questioned whether shippers will
be prepared to pay the extra costs or shift to
other, cheaper, transport alternatives. “There is
a lot of talk about shippers demanding ‘green’
transport, but are they also willing to pay for
it?” he asked.
He went on to say that continued monitoring
of economic impact and modal backshift is
important and even a legal obligation under
the EU Sulphur Directive and revealed that
at the European Sustainable Shipping Forum
in late February it was agreed to establish a
European monitoring tool, which could become
operational this summer. As well as monitoring,
Mr Verhoeven listed three priority elements to
settle: financial support options, legal certainty
and a fair level playing field.
He stressed the need to obtain concrete support
for retrofit projects and newbuilds. While national
funding is in theory possible under the EU
environmental state aid guidelines, the experience
from Finland – the only country in the EU that has
applied the guidelines so far in the SECA context
– shows that there is a time constraint involved,
which will make it difficult for other member
states to follow suit at this late stage.
Finally, with the implementation date
approaching fast, he made a plea for a fair and
level playing field asking that the early adopters,
those operators that completed all the investments
and are ready to meet the sulphur norms on 1
January 2015, are not penalised against those that
think it is cheaper to do nothing.
And he believes that some leniency should be
shown to those that can demonstrate that they
have made the necessary commitments to meet
the standards, but may not be entirely ready by
the time the deadline arrives, for technical or
other good reasons. For example, a compliance
path with a limited and conditional timeframe
might be offered, he suggested.
There is a precedent, Mr Verhoeven said.
“The USA seems to allow this flexibility within
the North American ECA, and we should have
the same flexibility in Europe.”
Patrick Verhoeven (ECSA): will shippers pay for green shipping? (credit: ECSA)
Repeat orders roll in for scrubbersSo far, the scrubber market has been dominated
by European manufacturers with Alfa Laval
and Wärtsilä leading the charge backed up by
smaller newcomers such as Clean Marine and
Green Tech Marine from Norway and Saacke
and Couple Systems in Germany. The volume of
orders is nowhere near enough to demonstrate
that the concept has been accepted by more
than a few pioneering owners, but the level of
repeat orders does suggest that the technology
is living up to expectations.
Sigurd Jenssen, director of exhaust gas
cleaning, environmental solutions, at Wärtsilä
Ship Power told Marine Propulsion that, while
the company would not provide a detailed
breakdown of the orders received, they include
virtually every ship type: cruise, container,
ferries, roro, tankers and trawlers.
Mr Jenssen agreed that the level of
repeat custom is significant. Recently, Italian
operator Messina Line ordered four more
shipsets at STX following its initial order
for four vessels at DSME and Norway’s
Solvang has ordered three more shipsets
(both newbuilds and retrofit), after having
taken delivery of two shipsets at Hyundai
Heavy Industries in South Korea. Another
recent repeat order saw Wilhelmsen ordering
more ships sets following the retrofit of
Tarago April last year.
Alfa Laval has notched up repeat orders for
its PureSox system from Danish ferry operator
DFDS and from Dutch operator Spliethoff.
The November 2013 order from Spliethoff
comprises systems for five con-ro vessels to be
retrofitted between June and December this
year. The order is significant because it follows
practical experience gained over more than
6,000 hours using a PureSox system on its
con-ro Plyca. Alfa Laval delivered the system
in 2012 and it has been in continuous use
aboard the vessel ever since within the North
European ECA.
Not to be outdone by their peers, Norway’s
two system makers have also notched
up significant orders. Green Tech Marine
announced in February that its biggest
customer, Norwegian Cruise Line, is installing
28 scrubbers on six ships in the line’s fleet. The
contract covers Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian
Dawn, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian
Pearl and Norwegian Sun and will be completed
over a two-year period. Green Tech Marine
also supplied the scrubbers on NCL’s Pride of
America last year and will deliver 10 scrubbers
The bulk carrier Balder was the first into the US ECA using a scrubber (credit: Clean Marine)
82 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
NOx and SOx control
to the company’s two new builds, Norwegian
Escape and Norwegian Bliss under construction at
Meyer Werft in Germany.
Clean Marine, based in Lysaker, is to supply
scrubbers for two 38,000 dwt chemical tankers
being built for Stolt Tankers and NYK Stolt
Tankers by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in
China. The two vessels are part of a series of
six sister ships and the remaining four vessels
will be designed with the flexibility to add a
scrubber at a later stage.
Clean Marine’s system is based on Advanced
Vortex Chamber technology and its integrated fan
and gas recirculation technology allows the single
exhaust gas cleaning system to simultaneously
serve several combustion units. In total, it will
manage seven exhaust sources and will be
designed to clean 140 tonnes of exhaust per hour.
• In August 2013, Clean Marine’s scrubber
became the first to be allowed to operate in the
US emission control area. The Torvald Klaveness
self-discharging bulk carrier Balder arrived at
Baltimore where its master sought approval
from the coast guard to enter and exit the ECA
Zone using high sulphur fuel oil using an EGCS.
Officials from the USCG conducted a Port
State Control examination and confirmed that
the Clean Marine EGCS was in full compliance
with Marpol Annex VI as an equivalent to
using low-sulphur fuel.
Japan joins scrubber clubA new joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha (MKK) to develop a hybrid system means that Japan has now joined the very short list of countries where scrubbers are likely to be manufactured. The announcement by the two partners in February this year said the system is the first in Japan able to comply with the 2015 ECA emission standards, which suggests that others within the country are also working on scrubber development.
In common with most systems now in production, the Japanese version has two scrubbing systems: one that uses circulating freshwater and the other using one-pass flow with seawater. The
freshwater system can scrub exhaust gas from combustions of heavy fuel oil with 3.5 per cent sulphur content to the equivalent of low-sulphur fuel oil with 0.1 per cent sulphur content, achieving compliance with SOx emission regulations of IMO scheduled to go into effect in ECAs in 2015.
The seawater system can scrub exhaust to match that of 0.5 per cent sulphur content fuel oil to comply with regulations that are expected to be applied in global marine areas in the future. Washing seawater is discharged outside after treatment, complying with requirements for discharged wash water.
The system includes a SOx scrubber,
a container unit housing a wash water processing system and other components and ISO standard tank containers to store sludge and a caustic soda solution (NaOH) to neutralise circulating fresh water. Modular construction is said to enable flexible arrangement of components, reducing installation time and cost requirements, and making it easier to retrofit the system to ships already in service.
MHI and MKK plan to install one of the new high-performance systems on a car carrier in a joint study with ClassNK, K-Line and Japan Marine United Corporation as part of ClassNK’s Joint R&D for Industry programme.
Meeting Tier III: Can it be that hard?Russia’s argument at MEPC that technology
to meet Tier III is not available, is not one
that many engine makers would agree with.
Leaving aside engines that run on LNG or
other gaseous fuels all the time, over the
past three years new engines in both the
medium and low speed sectors meeting Tier III
levels have become available from every major
engine maker. For current engines models
that do not yet measure up, selective catalytic
reduction (SCR) is an option that would
ensure compliance if it is needed.
Not every vessel will be obliged to meet Tier
III because it only applies to ships built after 1
January 2016 when operating in an ECA. If a
ship will be operating outside of ECAs then only
Tier II emission limits need be complied with.
Of course, the big problem is that shipowners
contemplating a new order now or in the very
near future cannot know with any certainty
what new ECAs might be established over time.
So to ensure the continued guaranteed
ability to trade everywhere in the world, every
vessel built after 1 January 2016 will need a Tier
III-compliant engine to be fitted or provision
made for it to be brought up to standard in
the future. Proving compliance will of course
result in more costs as some form of monitoring
will be necessary to satisfy port state control
authorities that the engine is running in the
appropriate mode.
So far, the engines that meet Tier III have
been able to do so using SCR or exhaust gas
recirculation (EGR). The latter is a developing
technology that is improving but probably has
some way to go before issues such as increased
CO2 output and reductions in efficiency are
resolved. Unlike the EGR systems that are
in-house modifications by engine makers, SCR
is usually a third party supply, although system
makers may co-operate with engine producers.
SCR is more effective – up to 99 per cent
in some cases and under certain conditions –
and is proven technology with more than 500
systems installed and in operation. It does
however involve capital outlay, unavoidable
running costs and comes with a space and
weight penalty.
Compact SCR systems are beginning to
debut with MAN Diesel & Turbo and ABB
among those producing smaller systems. In
these, the catalyst is some 80 per cent smaller
than early systems but is still a large piece
of equipment that must be placed between
the turbochargers and any boiler or waste
heat recovery system. The catalyst will need
replacing at intervals of around four to five
years but, because the catalysts are arranged in
a layered system that allows for only damaged
catalysts to be identified and exchanged, it is
not necessary to replace the entire catalyst at
the same time. MP
An MAN Diesel & Turbo SCR, installed downstream of an MAN 6L48/60B main engine (credit: MAN Diesel & Turbo)
84 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
D iscussion and argument over Tier III
NOx levels was high on the agenda at
the MEPC 66 meeting in late March
in London as delegates took positions on the
merit of the attempt by Russia at last May’s
MEPC 65 to delay the 2016 coming into force
date. In the event, a series of compromises
were adopted that would appear to have
satisfied most of those present.
Russia’s objections to the 2016 date for
Tier III to become effective were supported
by a number of delegates on the grounds that
technologies enabling new vessels to meet
the standards were not available. This was
the only valid ground for a delay allowed
under the Marpol Annex VI regulations and,
although it is generally accepted that such
technologies do exist, some are of the opinion
that their application is uneconomic.
Tier III applies only to new vessels operating
in ECAs that specifically allow control of
NOx emissions beyond the Tier II levels that
apply to ships operating anywhere else. As
the two European ECAs are limited to SOx
emissions, the only ECAs affected are the
US/Canada and US Caribbean ECAs. The US
in particular was annoyed and hostile to the
Russian inspired move at MEPC 65 and sought
to overturn it or retain grandfather rights to
control NOx emissions. A joint proposal by
the Marshall Islands and Norway to allow the
North American ECAs to operate as planned
from 2016, but for any future ECA to be
delayed until 2021, was one of the documents
under discussion.
In the event, it was a re-worked wording
that was finally accepted, although not without
opposition from some countries which felt it was
a hasty compromise with potential outcomes not
being properly considered. As a consequence,
the 1 January 2016 date for the
North American and US Caribbean
Sea ECAs are confirmed but for
future NECAs, ships would have to
comply with NOx Tier III standards
only if they are constructed on or
after the date of adoption of the
NECA, or a later date as may be
specified when designating a new
NECA, whichever is later.
Earlier in March, an attempt
by the EU to push for the Russian
resolution to be derailed by member
states acting in unison against it
was abandoned after support for
the action was not forthcoming.
At that time it was said that some
countries including Germany, Sweden and
Denmark were against stalling any IMO-backed
NOx Emission Control Area in the Baltic Sea.
However, at MEPC 66, Denmark, one of
the countries supporting the compromise
motion, believes that the door is now open for
some progress. After the decision, Denmark’s
minister for the environment, Kirsten
Brosbøll, was reported to have said that the
outcome could lead to a Baltic NECA being
established soon.
Under IMO rules such an ECA would
require application to be made to MEPC in
accordance with the procedures and criteria
in Appendix III of Annex VI. Where two
or more parties have a common interest in
a particular area, the regulations envisage
that they should formulate a coordinated
proposal, but whether Russia and other Baltic
states would play ball remains to be seen.
Even though the 2016 date for US waters
was confirmed, one type of vessel has been
allowed the five-year deferment: yachts up
to 500gt in size are not required to comply
with the Tier III levels until 2021 in order to
allow the industry time to develop optimised
selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems.
Other NOx-related decisions taken at MEPC
affecting shipping were adoption of amendments
to the NOx Technical Code concerning the use
of dual-fuel engines. The MEPC also approved
draft amendments to Marpol Annex VI regarding
engines solely fuelled by gaseous fuels, to clarify
that such engines should also be covered by the
Annex VI NOx regulations, with a view to adoption
at MEPC 67. An invitation for proposals for further
draft amendments to the NOx Technical Code for
inclusion of provisions on engines solely fuelled by
gaseous fuels, was issued.
The MEPC has set up correspondence
groups to consider the methodology for the
fuel oil availability model under which the
review of the availability of low sulphur fuels
for global operations will be carried out. Under
existing IMO rules on sulphur emissions, a
review must either be completed by 2018 or
deferred until 1 January 2025. The sulphur
content of fuel oil used on board ships is
required to be a maximum of 3.50
per cent falling to 0.50 per cent
from 1 January 2020.
MEPC provided details about
recent developments in the EU,
which decided that ships operating
in EU waters from 1 January 2020
would be required to use fuel oil
on board that met the 0.50 per
cent sulphur content standard,
regardless of the outcome of the
IMO’s fuel oil availability review.
The committee suggested that
MEPC could consider the pros
and cons of conducting an earlier
review and begin discussing its
scope. MP
NOx and SOx control
Superyachts of up to 500gt and over 24m long will not have to comply with the Tier III levels until 2021. Princess Iolanthe is 498gt and 45m long (credit: Mondo Marine)
IMO compromises on NOx
MEPC confirmed Tier III limits in the North American ECA from 1 January 2016 (credit: triplepundit.com)
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 85www.mpropulsion.com
LEMAG PREMET® C
LEMAG LEHMANN & MICHELS GmbH Siemensstraße 9 | 25462 RellingenTel.: + 49 4101 5880 0 Fax.: + 49 4101 5880 129 Email: [email protected]
Since 1911Measuring Instruments
visit us at www.lemag.de
Hey Chief, I´m tough!
stainless steel casing
covered connectors
►
►
►
designed for the usage under tough engine room conditions:
The LEMAG PREMET© C is one of the most sold electronic engine indicators in the world!
waterproof controls
Optimising Performance & Reducing Emissions
PREMET® Performance Analyser (PPA)* software screenshot
*optional
Marine_Propulsion_PREMET_new.indd 1 14.04.2014 07:57:31
Engineering Ltd
Common Rail & Pump and Line FormatsJacketed and Standard TypesPressure Ratings to 2500 Bar
Class Approved
MPandAM 0314 74-90x130.indd 1 27/03/2014 14:27
June/July 2014 includes:• ship type: OSVs • low-speed diesel engines • marine engineering in Japan • compressors • automation/control systems • dynamic positioning • steering gear and rudders • oily-water separators • ballast water treatment • deck machinery.
A subscription package comprises six printed issues per year, published bi-monthly, plus complimentary bonus material:
• three supplements: Worldwide Turbocharger Guide, Future Marine Fuels & Lubes and Ballast Water Treatment Technology
• digital editions of Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery • industry yearplanner including key industry dates • access to www.mpropulsion.com and its searchable
online archive.
Subscribe to Marine Propulsion & Auxiliary Machinery for just £299
Visit www.mpropulsion.comor call Sally Church on +44 20 8370 7018
Subscribedon’t miss an issue
journal_subs_fp.indd 2 29/04/2014 15:56
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 87www.mpropulsion.com
H eat exchangers play an important
role, not just in heating and cooling
but also in emissions control. One
example of such an application is the exhaust
gas recirculation (EGR) cooler developed
by GEA Heat Exchangers, which reduces a
ship’s emissions.
The company is a member of Germany’s
Blue Competence scheme, which is a
campaign for more efficient and climate-
friendly technologies run by the country’s
engineering federation, the VDMA. A
spokesman for GEA Heat Exchangers told
Marine Propulsion that being part of that
initiative is important for the company.
The VDMA’s initiative is a good example
of how industry can work together to
deliver sustainable solutions, he explained.
“Its efforts protect the environment with
innovative technologies and safeguard the
quality of life on our planet.”
As a contribution to this goal, GEA Heat
Exchangers’ EGR cooler is designed to reduce
NOx and SOx emissions from both two- and
four-stroke marine diesel engines, although
it has no impact on their efficiency.
The high pressures and temperatures
found in large diesel engines represent a
challenge for the structural design of exhaust
emission control, the company said. Adding
an inert gas – for example, by recirculating
some of the engine’s already-burnt exhaust
– reduces the production of NOx as the rapid
oxidation of fuel molecules is inhibited by
exhaust gas molecules.
This effect can be improved by cooling
the recirculated gas, but the cooler must
withstand harsh conditions: a temperature
gradient of more than 600°C, system-
related pressure fluctuations, vibrations
transmitted from the engine to the
cooler, and corrosion from the effects
of condensation in the exhaust gas. In
addition, the cooler must operate at a high
level of efficiency.
But the effort is worthwhile. The lower the
temperature of combustion, the smaller the
proportion of NOx in the engine’s emissions,
GEA Heat Exchangers pointed out. Its EGR
cooler can reduce exhaust gas temperatures
from as high as 700°C down to 50°C before
the exhaust gases are fed back into the
combustion air supply.
Space can also be a constraint so the
unit is compact, made from temperature-
and corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Its
finned-tube system, embedded in the water
passage structure, features newly-developed
fin geometry. The fins reduce the collection
of dirt and debris and create turbulence in
the gas flow, which results in heat transfer
over the entire surface, the company said.
In its latest generation, GEA Heat
Exchangers has added a scrubber before
the cooler to desulphurise the exhaust gas.
This injection of water also significantly
lowers the exhaust gas temperature to below
150°C before it enters the cooler enclosure.
During the cooling process, however, only
part of the scrubbing water evaporates, with
the rest hitting the finned-tube block at
great speed. “The newly developed compact
stainless steel finned-tube system is also
sufficiently resistant to this impact,” the
manufacturer reported. MP
GEA heat exchanger plays a role in German environmental engineering scheme
GEA backs German green initiative
heat exchangers
GEA Heat Exchangers’ exhaust gas recirculation cooler
Icebreaker gets new heat exchangersThe Finnish icebreaker Sisu was redelivered in October after a four-month overhaul to its sea water systems that included replacing 36 heat exchangers. The work was carried out by the Estonian shiprepairer SRC at its Tallinn yard.
It also exchanged 1,400m of corroded copper-nickel pipes for glass-reinforced epoxy alternatives and replaced lubrication oil filters, pumps and valves.
The heat exchangers were supplied by GEA Heat Exchangers and were fitted to the ship’s engines and generators, replacing cooling systems that the company had supplied more than 35
years before. The new units are GEA F-tube coolers,
which are described as having great thermal performance in a small space. Their compact design is the result of the use of elliptical tubes with cross-sections that promote effective flow with low pressure drop. Rectangular fins are slid over these tubes, which are metallically connected to the core tube by dip galvanising. The slight air-side pressure drop results in low operating costs for the fans, the manufacturer reported.
Sisu is part of the Finnish icebreaking and ice management company Arctia
Shipping’s fleet. A year earlier another Arctia vessel, Urho, had its heat exchangers replaced as part of a similar upgrading, which also included updating its electronics and automation systems.
The icebreaker Sisu has benefited from 36 new heat exchangers (credit: Andy Siitonen/Wikimedia)
88 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
heat exchangers
Corrosion forces heat exchanger exchangeA fleet of US oil spill response vessels (OSRVs) is benefiting from new Platecoil heat exchangers supplied by Tranter Heat Exchangers (Australia), replacing the existing coated mild steel pipe coils in the tank heaters which had been corroded by sea water.
The ships are operated by the Marine Spill Response Corp (MSRC), which describes itself as the largest dedicated oil spill response organisation in the USA.
MSRC’s Responder class OSRVs receive recovered material in their holds, where it is heated to accelerate the gravity separation of oil and water. Following separation, the OSRV crew shuts down the heating unless the weathered oil is very viscous. If it is, the heating is continued until the ship reaches port, in order to maintain a pumpable viscosity.
In a report, Tranter Heat Exchangers (Australia) explained that high heat transfer rates are a critical factor in the design and operation of tank and cargo hold heating applications. The company added that the high heat transfer rate of Platecoil prime surface heat exchanger banks increases efficiencies and reduces operational cost when compared to conventional heating coil design.
Each ship has four banks of
17-23 plates to heat the 4,000 bbl (about 635m3) capacity holds. Tranter engineered and prefabricated the replacement banks from Platecoil Style 40D panels in Type 304 stainless steel. Installation – which was carried out during a routine drydocking – was complicated by restricted access to the heaters’ locations, so the panels were prefabricated with inlet-outlet flanges and transported as separate pieces.
Once they had been moved into the hold, the panels were connected to flanged headers and secured within notched support frames using tie rods. This reduced shipyard labour from a major welding installation to a bolt-in installation, while also decreasing the overall capital cost of the project.
The company explained that in many hold heating installations, where standard vessel manways are present, the panels can be factory-prefabricated into a rigid, integral unit comprising manifold connections and support structures with integral feet. These complete assembled units can pass through standard manways to the cargo hold, where they are easily lowered into position and connected to the heating media distribution and return piping.
Hot gossip on Tranter’s forum
Heat exchanger vital for scrubber innovationGermany’s Saacke Marine Systems is a
recent entrant to the scrubber market
(Marine Propulsion, December 2013/January
2014) with its novel LMB-EGS scrubber.
This features dry separation of soot prior
to SOx removal with water. It uses a
ventilator-separator unit, which Saacke
has dubbed VentSep, to reduce particulate
matter by 97 per cent in the early stage
of exhaust gas purification and to reduce
contamination for all the other components
in the system.
One of those components is the heat
exchanger, which is positioned on the top
of the scrubber and receives soot-free gases
that still contain sulphur. It is cross-designed,
Saacke explained, so that exhaust gases that
enter the heat exchanger are cooled by the
cold exhaust from the scrubber. At the same
time the exhaust is heated up before passing
to the funnel, which eliminates the vapour
plume, said Saacke.
To remove the SOx, the gases are guided
via a channel that connects the heat
exchanger at the top to the scrubber at the
bottom. This channel is designed with wash
water nozzles, which are used to lower the
temperature of the gases and to act as the
first scrubbing stage.
Saacke Marine Systems received its first
order for the scrubber last year. Carl Büttner
Shipmanagement had the system fitted to its
four year old 15,300 dwt tanker Levana. The
installation was carried out in November and is
expected to pay for itself after two years.
Tranter is one of the world’s leading
manufacturers of plate heat exchangers and
has launched an online Heat Transfer Forum
to offer advice on the company’s products and
on wider questions about heat transfer. It was
introduced last September and aims to answer
questions within one business day.
“The heat transfer market is a very complex
field and we believe that people have a lot of
questions,” said Torbjörn Lantz, vice president of
Tranter Europe. “After 80 years within the heat
transfer business, we have gathered a broad
expertise. We want to take this opportunity to
share our competence and knowledge worldwide.”
Tranter’s Heat Transfer Forum is monitored
and secure, and registration is free. It can be
reached from the company’s website at www.
tranter.com or via https://forum.tranter.com.
The forum can also be accessed through smart
phones on Tranter’s mobile website, m.tranter.com. Tranter’s online forum
BWTS can gain from heat exchangersBallast water treatment systems (BWTSs)
are large consumers of power. Those that are
able to use waste heat as part of the process,
however, appear to eliminate the need to run
additional power generators.
These kinds of BWTS employ heat
exchangers to make use of otherwise waste
heat. Only one type-approved system, however,
uses heat as its treatment method. This is the
SeaSafe-3 from Australia’s Hi Tech Marine,
which claims to have had type approval since
1997, when it demonstrated its system aboard
the Australian bulk carrier Sandra Marie.
Using heat as a biocide has advantages
over other systems, the company believes. It
causes no mutations, there is no toxic residue
to dispose of and there are no dangerous
chemicals to be handled. As ballast is loaded,
it passes through a heat exchanger that is
connected to the main engine’s jacket water
cooling heat exchanger via a holding tank.
It can operate either in a flushing mode, in
which water is drawn in, passed through
the heat exchanger to the ballast tank and
discharged, or in a closed loop, in which the
ballast water is circulated between tank and
heat exchanger.
Hi Tech Marine may not have this
particular market to itself for much
longer, however. Danish company Bawat
offers a BWTS that uses a combination of
pasteurisation and deoxygenation to disinfect
the ballast water. It points out in its literature
that this is an in-tank method that makes
it possible for ship operators to treat ballast
water in transit rather than upon uptake. It ›››
• Unique maintenance friendliness
• Constant and efficient cooling
• Saves space in engine room
www.sperre.com/rack
Sperre Rack cooler
www.sperre.com/pleat
• Open elements = easy maintenance
• Perfect retrofit for your PHE
• Profitable within first service
Sperre Pleat cooler
Solving Seawater Cooling
Sperre Coolers AS
TIB
E 1
3212
Sperre Coolers ASNorwayTel. +47 70 10 42 [email protected]
Sperre Asia PTE LtdSingapore Tel. +65 6 763 [email protected]
Sperre Rotterdam BVThe NetherlandsTel. +31 180 [email protected]
Sperre ChinaShanghaiTel. +86 21 6507 [email protected]
90 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
heat exchangers
Wärtsilä develops evaporator for LNG fuelLNG propulsion depends on heat exchangers.
Between the bunker tanks, where the fuel is
typically stored at -160°C, and the engine it has to
be warmed by a heat exchanger and regasified.
Such technology is not new – the same is
needed before LNG cargo can be distributed along
onshore pipelines – but systems for use on board
a vessel to deliver gas for use in a dual-fuel diesel
engine have different requirements.
One company that is focusing on this is
Wärtsilä. Its interest is clearly driven by the need
to offer fuel delivery systems for its range of dual-
fuel engines, which now include low speed units
launched last November.
Sören Karlsson, who is general manager
of supply management for Wärtsilä’s fuel gas
systems, explained to Marine Propulsion how
these heat exchangers, termed evaporators, are
built and operated.
They are typically made of stainless steel,
he said, since carbon steel loses its strength at
cryogenic temperatures. Their construction also
has to allow for shrinkage and expansion due to
the large temperature differences, which would
otherwise create high thermal loads.
For small duty LNG evaporators, water bath
evaporators are typically used, which consist of a
stainless steel coil immersed into a hot water bath.
That heat could come from steam, electricity or a
waste heat source, Mr Karlsson explained.
However, a water bath evaporator can be
quite large, which makes them unsuitable as
evaporators for engines the size of Wärtsilä’s.
Instead, the manufacturer typically uses shell
and tube heat exchangers, because of their
compactness. It has also, with its sub supplier,
developed a design to ensure a low pressure
drop and large contact surface on the LNG
side in order to achieve efficient superheating
of the gas.
To avoid the risk of freezing, ethylene glycol
is typically used as an intermediate heating
medium. This extracts waste heat from the
engine-cooling water systems.
Understanding cargo heating is an ‘urgent task’
››› believes this is more convenient since it
does not restrict normal ship operations in
port or require system upgrades.
Ballast water is drawn from the tank and
pasteurised using waste machinery heat, via a
heat exchanger. Here it is mixed with nitrogen
for deoxygenation. The ballast water is then
injected into the bottom of the tank through
rotary jet heads and fixed nozzles, to ensure
thorough mixing. By recirculating the ballast
water, the full tank volume is treated, the
company says. One benefit of the system, it
notes, is that it reduces corrosion in the tank.
A scale model of the system has been built
but no full scale installations have been made
and the system is not yet type-approved.
Although heat has only a small share of the
ballast water treatment market, researchers
have explored its potential and reported
encouraging potential if it is combined with
filtration. A paper by two Malaysian academics
presented at the International Conference
on Marine Technology in 2012 reported that
a system harnessing shipboard waste heat
would provide an economic solution for ballast
water treatment but, based on an analysis of
waste heat available on a crude oil tanker, a
complementing treatment method would be
necessary to treat high volumes.
They proposed a heat-filtration combination
system, in which sea water would circulate
as a secondary coolant to collect the heat but
would also be filtered in what they termed a
filtration-cum-heat exchanger, fitted in line
with the ballast system. Like the Hi Tech
Marine arrangement, this proposed system
would recirculate the ballast water during a
voyage, passing it through the filter and the
heat exchanger.
The authors estimated the operating
costs but said that the pumping costs would
be negligible as no changes in pumping
arrangements would be needed. Capital costs
would include the heat exchanger, filtration
units and extra piping. They quoted figures of
US$0.06-0.19 per tonne of treated water for the
filtration and US$0.056-0.17 per tonne for the
heat treatment system.
Wärtsilä’s dual-fuel system includes a shell and tube heat exchanger to regasify the LNG fuel (credit: Wärtsilä)
Understanding the heat exchange between a
tanker’s cargo heater and the oil around it can
have a big impact on capital and operating
costs for the heating system, according
to a paper published in December by the
International Journal of Current Engineering and
Technology. As a result, the paper’s introduction
notes, “the study of the influence of capacity
fluctuations on the heat transfer around a
horizontal tubular heater is one of the most
urgent tasks for transportation of high-
viscosity liquids by sea.”
The paper was written by Dr Abbas Alwi
Sakhir Abed, who is assistant professor in
the Engineering College at Iraq’s Al-Qadisiya
University. His work indicates that heat
transfer under dynamic conditions can range
from 1.5 to 4 times higher than when the oil is
static, when free convection prevails.
The paper develops equations that can be
used to predict the increase in heat transfer
when influenced by fluid movement caused by
the rolling characteristics of vessels. This will
enable optimisation of sizing of exchangers.
Initial tests were carried out in a laboratory
tank to verify heat transfer rates using a
cylindrical heater immersed in medical
Vaseline oil. With no rolling effect, and hence
free convection, the results achieved were
in close correlation to those derived from
numerical analyses. Further tests were then
conducted with varying amplitudes of oil
oscillation being introduced.
The results indicated three aspects of heat
transfer where magnitudes vary with the
degree of fluid movement. The first of these
is the influence of free convection under low
fluid oscillations. The second is when more
mixed convection is introduced as oscillations
increase and the third where more strongly
forced fluid movement has a dominant effect
on heat transfer.
The paper proposes equations that can be
more reliably used to predict heat transfer
rates which, in turn, can be used to evaluate
heat exchanger capacity requirements. MP
Read the paper via www.tinyurl.com/tank-heat
Find out more at marine.gea-hx.com
engineering for a better world GEA Heat Exchangers
But: bon voyage without a doubt. Our HX-Factor makes it all possible for
you. This promise of performance stands for unique competence in heat
exchange (HX = HEAT EXCHANGE) and assures you a maximum of reliability
and safety on all the seas of the world. GEA heat exchange solutions sus-
tainably guarantee cooling of ship engines – as well as pleasant climate
under deck and safe transport of your perishable goods. We’ll put you on
successful course. Ship ahoy !
Heat exchange
with HX-Factor.
Always on
successful course.
Dead stop on the high seas without HX-Factor
HX_Ad_Competence_Marine_A4_EN_030414_RZ.indd 1 03.04.14 16:34
92 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
condition & performance monitoring
More of the worldwide fleet has been
fitted with machinery sensors to allow
owners to use onboard data to improve
operational efficiency and enhance maintenance
procedures. The growing amount of data generated
by these networks of sensors means shipowners
need to employ more advanced analysis tools to
process the data into intelligent information. The
adoption of this information analytics is leading the
maritime industry into the industrial internet age.
Engineering Software Reliability Group (ESRG)
estimates that if the global fleet adopted industrial
internet technology, it could create up to US$20
billion of opportunities for owners, operators
and managers in reduced costs, fuel efficiency,
and increased asset uptime and reliability. This is
according to the report Bringing the industrial internet
to the marine industry and ships into the cloud, written
by ESRG’s president Ken Krooner and its general
manager Rob Bradenham.
With more newbuildings being equipped with
smarter machines and more robust technology,
that value-creation potential is projected to grow
at 15-20 per cent per year for the next five years.
“The benefits to marine stakeholders are significant.
Substantial fuel savings, reductions in maintenance
and repair costs, and greater assurance of
environmental compliance are the largest drivers,”
said Mr Krooner and Mr Bradenham in the report.
“Many marine organisations need to bolster
their technology and data analysis capabilities in
order to take advantage of these opportunities. Some
companies are already investing in data collection.
But often this means they are overwhelmed with
data, so the data can sometimes be ignored. Real-
time automated analytics on a vessel and on
shore are necessary to transform the raw data into
actionable information that can be used to make
better operational and maintenance decisions.”
To realise these opportunities, shipowners
should employ more comprehensive monitoring and
control systems, better broadband communications,
and software for analysing huge volumes of data.
However, there are significant technical challenges,
especially the huge volume of data generated,
that will affect the adoption of industrial internet
technology. The huge volume of sensor data is one
of them. New vessels have more than 1,000 data
points, creating 2.5 billion pieces of data over a
month. Therefore, a fleet of 100 of these vessels
would produce 3 trillion data points per year.
If analysed properly, this data could be used to
operate and maintain equipment at higher performance
levels and lower costs, by adopting condition-based
maintenance (CBM) strategies. Analytic software can
integrate a variety of data sources in multiple formats
and use automated algorithms to turn data into
actionable information. The information then needs
to be available through multiple channels, including
Industrial internet technology and key performance indicators can help shipowners optimise onboard maintenance programmes and improve fuel efficiency
by Martyn Wingrove
Sensor networks can enhance ship performance
Condition based maintenance systems, such as those provided by ESRG, can cut operating costs through better communications (credit: ESRG)
US$20 BILLION INDUSTRIAL INTERNET VALUE CREATION IN MARITIME INDUSTRY
Estimated annual value creation for 2013 global fleet, in US$ billion
7.5B 2.8B 2.7B 2.7B 2.2B 1.8B 0.5B0.8B0.2B
Tank
ers
(Han
dy+
)
FPS
Os
& D
rills
hips
Con
tain
er (H
andy
+)
Cru
ise,
Fer
ry
& R
oRo
Tugs
Bul
k (H
andy
+)
Offs
hore
Sup
ply
Vess
els
Feed
er &
Sm
all
Fish
ing
& M
ega-
yach
ts
avoided maintenance & repair costs increased productivity & revenue decreased fuel & energy cost
Additional Compliance and Voyage
ManagementSystems Data
Main PropulsionOEM Monitoring
Auxiliary and attachedSystems OEM Monitoring
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 93www.mpropulsion.com
web-based interfaces, mobile devices, intelligent
reports and enterprise applications.
Operators adopting CBM strategies can
improve vessel uptime, reduce unplanned repairs,
manage drydockings more effectively and reduce
maintenance costs, said the ESRG report authors.
For example, container ship operators could improve
their equipment and scheduling reliability, and
reduce fuel costs. They could use the onboard data
to operate ships more efficiently, such as optimising
the configuration of generators or engines. They
could optimise the vessel’s power systems based
on the actual electrical load and the performance of
specific systems on the ships.
This is particularly relevant if ships are carrying
large numbers of reefer containers that have high
power requirements for refrigerating cargoes.
Operators could also use the data to reduce vessel
speed to meet scheduling requirements and
minimise total fuel consumption, including fuel
needed to run the generators and propulsion. This
would reduce bunker costs, which at current fuel
prices could be considerable over several months of
operation, said ESRG.
It is relatively easy to install industrial internet
technology on a fleet of newbuildings, but far more
difficult on older vessels. Owners would need to do
a major retrofit of these vessels with sensors and
integrated networks and updated communications
equipment. Of a global fleet of around 100,000
vessels, approximately 20,000 already have some
of the technology infrastructure on board and
could be upgraded fairly easily to having industrial
internet on board, said ESRG. This is expected to
rise by 3,000 vessels per year as most newbuildings
incorporate this technology infrastructure.
Some owners have adopted industrial
internet and CBM. For example, Bernhard
Schulte Shipmanagement retrofitted container
ship Gabriel Schulte with sensors and a data
network. The vessel has integrated main diesel
engines, four generators, torque meter, fuel flow
meters, ballast and fuel management and lube
oil systems, oily water system, GPS and ecdis.
The data from all these systems is available on
shore for analysis and users can turn the data
into actionable information. This enables the
master, chief engineer, technical superintendent
and owner to have information on the health
and performance of the ship, including fuel
consumption, power generation, equipment
condition and environmental compliance.
Bernhard Schulte chief engineer Guenter Sell
said the technology improves ship performance
and reduces operating costs. “Not only am I able
to assess the equipment performance over time
with qualified data, I am also able to have more
constructive discussions with the land-based
technical superintendents. For example, after
creating the visibility I was able to work through
a long term sensor problem with the technical
superintendent to get it resolved.”
HGO InfraSea Solutions has installed sensors
on various systems on its latest windfarm
construction vessel Innovation. This vessel was
launched with a technology backbone that
integrates four asynchronous thruster motors,
four azimuth propellers, three motors and bow
thrusters, six diesel engines, electrical jack-up
system, bridge control system, DP, radar systems
and ecdis all linked through the ship’s local area
network. MP
Data can boost ship performanceWith good quality onboard data, operators can identify or calculate key performance indicators (KPIs), which they can then use to improve their operational efficiencies and competitiveness. In competitive shipping markets it is important for shipowners to highlight their energy efficient operations and safety records, through KPIs. The next generation of ship deliveries are designed to be as much as 20 per cent more efficient, but without the KPIs this will be difficult to demonstrate.
Individual companies can use the information to benchmark vessels in their own fleets, but the information is unlikely to be available from competitors. The newly restructured KPI Association (KPIA) aims to rectify this. The association has been set up to collate and correlate industry-specific data on behalf of the whole maritime sector. It manages the industry-wide KPI project, which was originally created by InterManager.
During this year, KPIA is being restructured to promote safety at sea and best practice. It aims to appoint a global network of regional certified consultants to be the first point of contact for shipping companies and maritime organisations. The consultants will advise shipowners why they should introduce KPIs, said the association’s executive director Helle Gleie. “Having a global network of consultants will enable KPIA
to advise the shipping industry in the use of performance indicators and statistics, as well as giving us a vital point of contact to receive feedback and inspiration from the maritime sector.”
There will be an expert group within KPIA incorporating representatives from key maritime organisations and companies. This group will develop and adapt KPIs to meet emerging industry requirements and expectations. The group will work with industry academics
to identify relevant trends and correlations in the data as well as to analyse the feedback from shipowners and maritime organisations. The association expects this will lead to an improvement in performance efficiency, maritime safety and environmental standards.
Ms Gleie expects that the restructured organisation will attract more shipowners to join the KPI project. “Many companies have struggled when deciding if, when or how to implement shipping KPIs, or have not known how to collect and share this information. Our new structure will enable us to assist with this challenge and spread understanding of how to gather this information to secure meaningful, future focused and commercially beneficial results.”
At the start of 2014, a total of 2,267 vessels worldwide were supplying KPI data to the project’s online database. “We are confident that the new structure will make a difference to its users and the industry as a whole. Only by working together during times of fast change and by sharing knowledge, can the shipping industry develop responsibly and financially with the desired speed,” said Ms Gleie.• The KPI project can be accessed by clients through a web-based system developed and maintained by Cyprus-based IT specialist SoftImpact: www.shipping-kpi.org
Helle Gleie (KPI Association): “Having a global network of consultants will enable us to advise the shipping industry in the use of performance indicators and statistics”
94 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
condition & performance monitoring
Case study: vibration monitoring via satelliteTwo ships operated by United European Car Carriers (UECC) have been fitted with equipment to monitor the vibration behaviour of their engine gearboxes.
The systems have been installed in their enginerooms by Schaeffler (UK) which is also providing exception-based remote monitoring services via a VSAT link. Schaeffler told Marine Propulsion that this provides UECC with an early warning system for potential gearbox failures. It also generates useful diagnostics and trend information that the operator can give to class society inspectors during ship audit inspections.
These reports, Schaeffler said, eliminate the need for time consuming, one-off gearbox inspections, which cost significant sums and cause costly delays.
Each of the ships – Autostar and Autosun – is fitted with Schaeffler’s eight-channel FAG DTECT X1s vibration monitoring system, set up to monitor four vibration points on each of the two main engine gearboxes. A panel PC displays the vibration data from each gearbox and the systems are connected to the ship’s VSAT communications system.
UK-based company Hargreaves Marine, Schaeffler (UK)’s partner for the marine industry, was responsible for specifying and installing the equipment, along with providing the remote
monitoring service. The systems have been in operation for a year, during which vibration data has been sent ashore every 12 hours via satellite link and cloud server. If an alarm is generated, shore staff can see which bearing on which gearbox was responsible, and decide whether action is required by the ship’s engineers.
Chief engineers at UECC receive a monthly report showing the gearbox vibration data and measuring points. This information can be collated into annual reports or five-yearly class audits.
Jim Belsham, technical
superintendent at UECC, is responsible for the remote condition monitoring installations. “When a ship’s gearbox reaches 60,000 to 70,000 hours in service the last thing we want to do is to replace all the bearings inside the gearbox that are potentially still in good condition,” he said. “Around two years ago we therefore looked for an alternative solution.
“So far, we have not found any unusual problems, but the system constantly reassures us that the gearboxes are not going to suddenly fail and cause costly downtime.”
Data upgrade improves ship performanceAn upgrade to part of the automation system
on Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the
Seas has given the ship 6,500 more data points
and increased its data storage to seven years
(up from one year).
Kongsberg has installed its Information
Management System (K-IMS) to replace the
history station within the existing Kongsberg
Maritime K-Chief automation system, which
now has 76 remote control units controlling
over 40,000 data points. The upgrade,
Kongsberg said, provides Royal Caribbean with
extensive data and statistics with which to
improve vessel operational performance.
K-IMS has a suite of applications within
a web portal that is available both on board
and on the Royal Caribbean office network in
Florida, USA. K-IMS data can be accessed on
board using tablets and is displayed on a large
screen in the engine control room.
It also provides a report each day showing
what is consuming the most power, to help decide
which machinery can be shut off to save fuel. MP
Infrared fuel sensor checks fuel qualityFuel savings of up to 5 per cent are claimed
if a fuel quality sensor is fitted as part of
a fuel management strategy, claims the
device’s manufacturer, CMR Group.
It described its Near Infrared Intelligent
Sensor (NIRIS) as the world’s first
commercial high horsepower diesel fuel
quality sensor and explained that it detects
fuel parameters by applying advanced
hydrocarbon profiling that measures
the molecular structure of fuel. “This
allows real-time optimisation of injection,
combustion and post-treatment for all
types of fuel, including bio-fuels,” it said in
a statement.
When used in conjunction with an
engine control unit “NIRIS can help to
significantly reduce fuel consumption and
engine emission levels,” it said. Further
benefits claimed for the unit include
lower fuel analysis costs, correct engine
performance and the overall alleviation of
damage to components due to inferior or
low-grade fuels.
NIRIS is based around an infrared
spectrometer that performs continuous
analysis of a range of parameters including
the cetane index, density and percentage
of biodiesel. It provides information that
engineers can use for assessing fuel quality.
The NIRIS unit can be retrofitted anywhere between the low pressure and high pressure fuel pumps (credit: CMR)
The control box receives information from eight vibration sensors (credit: Schaeffler (UK))
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 95www.mpropulsion.com
S hanghai ship design house Shanghai
Ship Research and Design Institute
(SDARI), part of the China State
Shipbuilding Cooperation, and Finnish maritime
software developer NAPA are extending their
co-operation in a new project involving ship
performance monitoring and applying optimised
design techniques to real ships in service. The
agreement was signed during the Marintec
event in Shanghai in December.
The agreement extends an existing
co-operation arrangement that includes the
application of NAPA software to SDARI’s ship
design processes and NAPA’s Loading Computer,
which is said to enhance safe operation and
maximise a vessel’s cargo capacity.
The new agreement is in response to
industry demands for improved vessel
performance and the associated need for tools
to provide real time performance monitoring
to optimise operational efficiency during the
lifecycle of vessels.
NAPA president Juha Heikinheimo told
Marine Propulsion that the two companies have
been co-operating since 2000, with the first
joint project involving loading computers.
The basis for the latest product is a 3D
ship model. NAPA uses the design model
created by SDARI to perform optimisation
work and the in-service data can then be
linked to the design to show how it was
actually performing, with analysis of specific
parameters such as fuel economy.
“The main driver is that ship operators
want to reduce fuel consumption and
maximise revenues by optimising routeing
and operations with real time monitoring.
There are currently thousands of ships
trading without any proper monitoring of
their performance,” Mr Heikinheimo said.
He added that using this tool increases
safety and can raise vessels’ secondhand
values and charter rates if the ship’s
performance and fuel consumption is known
and independently verified. “Charterers
might pay a premium to reflect the benefit of
proven low fuel consumption.”
Mr Heikinheimo said: “Broadening the
scope of our partnership enables us to serve
the shipowners and operators even better by
helping them to monitor and analyse actual
ship performance. [They] have a significant
savings potential of up to 30 per cent, which
can be achieved with better designs and more
efficient, well planned, monitored, analysed
and optimised operations. NAPA solutions
offer comprehensive tools for efficient
operations and, in addition, a possibility to
prove the superiority of the modern eco-
designs and provide valuable feedback to the
design process.”
SDARI president Hu Jintao commented
to Marine Propulsion: “NAPA’s performance
monitoring tool can assist at the design stage and
it is also important to get feedback about how the
ship is actually performing in different sea states.
This will inform future designs.”
It is essential that designers get
feedback from actual ships in operation and
particularly in a loaded condition, he added.
"Sea trials are done in ballast conditions and
relatively calm sea states.”
He said that results from the system could
result in recommendations for retrofitting.
“Currently we get data feedback from only
a very small proportion of ships built to our
designs. The tool can be used to verify claims
by other suppliers, such as coatings and other
equipment for fuel savings and efficiency
improvements on an objective basis and
this will also help suppliers to verify their
claims. It is also useful for educating crews
in efficient operations.”
He spoke of the two companies’
longstanding co-operation, which means “we
can offer speedy delivery to clients for new
projects. We have been using NAPA tools
for many years, which improve calculation
efficiency for different ship types and in daily
work. From 2001 we decided we would do
that for loading computers which saves time
in getting data validated. The NAPA loading
computer is similar and can transfer data
with output no different.”
He has a high regard for SDARI’s vessels.
“[They] are already designed to industry-
leading standards, but in order to increase
competitiveness in an industry increasingly
focused on cutting operating costs, we
hope to introduce NAPA’s performance
monitoring solutions to demonstrate the
superior operating efficiency of our designs,”
he said. MP
Chinese and Finnish companies extend their collaboration to include vessel performance monitoring
Co-operation to enhance performance monitoring
Hu Jintao (SDARI) and Juha Heikinheimo (NAPA) shake hands on their agreement
SDARI updates ‘Dolphin’ conceptAlso at Marintec SDARI and DNV GL outlined their latest Green Dolphin 575 handymax bulk carrier design. This is a development of their previous Green Dolphin 38 version, incorporating greater fuel efficiency.
The Green Dolphin 575 is designed to comply with expected future emission regulations, featuring a number of propulsion options. These include exhaust gas cleaning systems or dual-fuel operation with LNG. The core design
has an efficient Tier II long-stroke, low-speed main engine and a large-diameter slow-rotating propeller. As a result, main engine fuel consumption is about 22.8 t/day with a 15 per cent sea margin.
SDARI chairman Hu Jintao confirmed that the SDARI Green Dolphin 38 bulker design has achieved 44 firm orders plus 36 options spread among 10 shipyards. “I expect most options to be exercised as ship prices are now rising and I expect total orders to reach 100 ships.”
96 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
Helios project
T he Helios project was established to
develop a research platform for an
electronically controlled, two-stroke,
low-speed, marine diesel engine that operates
via a direct injection of LNG in the form of
compressed natural gas (CNG). It was led by
MAN Diesel & Turbo, which has developed
a dual diesel/gas fuelled engine, the ME-GI
(M-type, electronically controlled, gas
injection) engine.
MAN Diesel & Turbo presented the results
of the project at a conference in Copenhagen
at the end of November 2013, at which Lars
Ryberg Juliussen, senior manager at MAN
Diesel & Turbo’s Diesel Research Centre, told
Marine Propulsion: “The project worked better
than expected. The project handling was very
smooth, we are very satisfied with the result
that we obtained and we have been successful
in getting orders.”
Eight other partners participated in the
initiative: TGE Marine Gas Engineering,
materials technology company Sandvik
Powdermet, Germanischer Lloyd and a range
of universities based in Denmark, Sweden and
Germany, including Lund University and the
University of Erlangen.
The aim behind the project was clear: “We
wanted to make available an engine for using gas
that is of the same type that large commercial
vessels are using today: two-stroke engines
with a large propeller and direct propulsion
without reduction gear,” Mr Juliussen told
Marine Propulsion. Indeed, while gas-propelled
four-stroke engines have been available in the
marketplace for a few years, Helios’ result was
the first gas-powered two-stroke ship engine to
be launched.
The project saw MAN Diesel & Turbo
retrofit an electronically-controlled two-stroke,
4T50ME-X marine diesel research engine to gas
operation. This engine has four cylinders, with
a bore of 0.5m and a stroke of 2.2m. It delivers
approximately 7MW at 123 rpm.
Electronic control was decided upon because
this allows the engine to be optimised more
efficiently than by using mechanical control,
Mr Juliussen said. “Using an electronically-
controlled engine allows more flexibility in
how you time the gas injection,” he explained.
“This means that the engine can be optimised
efficiently over the whole load range. If the
engine is mechanically controlled, you have to
make some compromises, as it only optimises at
one load point.”
The gas-powered research engine was
benchmarked against the same engine running
on diesel oil, and the aim was to ensure that the
engine reacted exactly the same when running
on gas as it did when diesel was deployed. “This
is important for ship operators, as it means that
they have the same benefits running on gas
as they do on diesel and can use the engine in
exactly the same way, no matter which form of
fuel they choose,” Mr Juliussen said.
Highlighting the major challenges and
issues that the project uncovered, Mr Juliussen
said: “The challenge was to create a safe
control system for the injection of gas and to
analyse the combustion process required for
this, to ensure and verify that it takes place as
it is anticipated.”
This was possible by the use of new
technology for visualising the combustion
process. Cameras were placed in the combustion
chamber, enabling researchers to look into the
engine and watch the combustion process. “This
was important as by watching it, we could make
the combustion process as efficient as possible
and ensure it happened as it was supposed to,”
Mr Juliussen said.
Explaining why it was decided to use LNG
in its compressed form, CNG, rather than as
a liquid, he explained that for liquid LNG,
a temperature of -165 degrees was needed.
“This is not an easy temperature to keep,” Mr
Juliussen commented. “It is much simpler to
use LNG in the gas form.”
A major consideration for deploying CNG
was the requirement for technology that could
hold the gas at the pressure that was needed
by the engine. A fuel gas supply system was
provided by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine
Engineering that was based on a high pressure
cryogenic pump system. It consists of a cryogenic
storage tank, a feed pump, suction drum, high
A three-year EU-funded project to develop an LNG-fuelled two-stroke engine has concluded. Now the focus turns to other forms of gas
by Rebecca Moore
EU project supports LNG two-stroke programme
Lars Ryberg Juliussen (MAN Diesel & Turbo): “We originally targeted the conversion of LNG tankers, but the first order was for container ships”
Helios helped develop the ME-GI dual-fuel (LNG and diesel) engine and TOTE has ordered them for two newbuilds (credit: General Dynamics/NASSCO)
96 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 97www.mpropulsion.com
pressure cryogenic pump, pulsation damper,
vaporiser and a gas flow/pressure/temperature
control system.
The cryogenic centrifugal pump supplies the
LNG from the cryogenic storage tank to a
suction drum at the inlet of the cryogenic high
pressure pump. This pressurises the LNG to the
required pressure. The vaporiser is connected to
the pump outlet and the LNG is heated to 45°C,
vaporising it to form CNG. The ME-GI control
system supplies a gas pressure set point to the
gas supply system depending on engine load.
Highlighting the importance of the research
project when it came to the gas supply system,
Mr Juliussen said it was important for MAN
Diesel & Turbo to be able to take control of it for
safety reasons, “as it meant that safety was in
our hands at all times. We could control this, so
there was no chance of any kind of failure. There
was no random development of the system, as
we could test it and verify it to be assured that it
was working as it must do.”
Another important safety element was the
fact that the fuel lines were double walled, in
order to prevent gas leakage in the engineroom.
The space between the two walls was ventilated
so that a sensor placed in that area could detect
any gas leaks.
Elsewhere, the inclusion of a gas composition
sensor allowed the engine to be optimised to
the actual condition of the gas. “The engine can
run on any quality of natural gas, as long as the
sensor tells the engine the calorific value of the
gas at any time,” Mr Juliussen explained. He
pointed out the quality of the gas could change
quite significantly throughout the voyage of an
LNG tanker so the sensor tells the engine control
unit the calorific value of the gas and, based on
this, it calculates how much gas to inject in order
to have the optimum performance.
Once the conversion of the gas engine
was completed, it was benchmarked against
operation on diesel oil. The conclusions were
extremely positive: NOx emission levels of the
ME-GI gas engine are about 25 per cent lower
than on diesel oil operation given comparable
engine operating conditions, while CO2
emissions have been slashed by 23 per cent.
Direct injection of gas also results in low
methane slip. Mr Juliussen commented: “While
the sulphur content is the most obvious benefit,
a low methane slip is a main contributor to low
emission values.”
Since December 2012, 20 ME-GI gas engines
have been ordered for gas tankers and container
ships, including for the US container lines
Matson Navigation and TOTE and the LNG
operator Teekay LNG Partners.
Mr Juliussen revealed that 50 more orders
would be coming through in the near future.
He told conference delegates: “We originally
targeted the conversion of LNG tankers, but the
first order was for container ships, which was a
little bit of a surprise for us. But because of the
market conditions, gas is an attractive fuel of the
future.” He added: “US operators like TOTE have
to operate in Emission Control Areas (ECA) and
gas is available in the US at a relatively low cost,
so this is the cheapest way to use a fuel with
low sulphur.”
TOTE ordered the dual-fuel 8L70ME-GI
engine for two 3,100 teu container ships that
San Diego shipyard NASSCO is building. It also
has an option for possibly three more vessels.
The first ship is expected to be delivered by the
fourth quarter of 2015, with the second ship
expected by the first quarter of 2016.
Matson has placed an order for two MAN
Diesel & Turbo 7S90ME-GI dual-fuel engines,
with options for a further three vessels. The
engines will be manufactured by MAN Diesel
& Turbo's licensee Hyundai Heavy Industries
and will be able to use heavy fuel oil, marine
diesel oil or LNG as fuel. MAN Diesel & Turbo
said that they are the largest dual-fuel engines
ever ordered in terms of power output, with
each engine capable of 42,700kW. The vessels
are being constructed by Aker Philadelphia
Shipyard and are slated for delivery in the third
and fourth quarters of 2018.
Meanwhile, Teekay LNG Partners has placed
an order for two LNG carriers, each powered
by a pair of 5G70ME-GI engines, with an
option for three further ships. The ships will be
constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine
Engineering and are due to be delivered in the
first half of 2016.
The ME-GI engine can also be retrofitted;
since the conference, the first such order has
been announced, to convert the engine on
a Qatari LNG carrier (see page 100). While
retrofitting the engine could in many cases
be more complex and costly than fitting it on
a newbuild, this will not always the case. “If
you retrofit an LNG carrier, you have the gas
tanks already available on-board, which is an
advantage as then you only need to convert the
engines to gas,” Mr Juliussen said.
While the Helios project has been completed,
developments are still being continued. MAN
Diesel & Turbo is already working on a design
that can be used with Liquid Petroleum Gas
(LPG), which is not currently used as a fuel for
ships. Mr Juliussen said that the benefits of
using it included that the gas has a low sulphur
content and could be cheaper to use than low
sulphur oil.
Here, the engine’s design is being adapted
slightly to suit the different type of gas. While
the control system is the same, Mr Juliussen
said that because LPG was being used in liquid
format (heated to 20°C) rather than the gas
format of CNG, a pressure booster system is used
to inject it, rather than the common rail system
currently used. Mr Juliussen estimated that it
is possible that the LPG-operated engine could
be in use by the end of 2015. While CNG would
be the preferred solution for large vessels, LPG
could be a solution for smaller vessels, as well as
for tankers that carry LPG. MP
•More details of the Helios project, including
presentations from the November conference,
are available at http://helios-fp7.eu/
The Helios project involved converting an electronically-controlled 4T50ME-X two-stroke, low speed research engine to gas operation
98 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
K Y M A E-mail: [email protected] - Web: www.kyma.no
Kyma Shaft Power Meter
Ship Performance MonitoringTake control, save fuel and enviroment!
Kyma Diesel Analyzer
Kyma Ship Performance
Kyma Steam Analyzer
fuels & lubes
Reliable sources show that known oil
and gas reserves have steadily risen by
approximately 60 per cent since 1992,
according to a recent assessment by Lloyd’s
Register Marine’s lead project engineer for
machinery, John Bradshaw.
Demand is also growing, but there is
no reason to panic about oil and gas, he
believes; it is generally not understood
that elemental carbon and hydrogen can
be reformed into almost any synthesised
hydrocarbon fuel using existing technology.
Oil remains the dominant marine fuel
and, through clean emissions technology,
will continue to compete against the newer
fuels entering shipping, he predicted.
Interest in alternative fuels is stimulating
interest in alternative energy conversion
technologies, including gas turbines,
batteries and fuel cells, Mr Bradshaw noted.
There is some uncertainty over future fuel
trends, however; market fragmentation –
with operators selecting solutions fitting
their own needs – is likely, perhaps resulting
in multiple fuel policies within an
operator’s fleet.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ best solution,
he concluded. LR expects to see continued
strong growth in the LNG fuel sector, with
oil retaining a large overall bunker market
share. Alternatives, such as methanol, bio-
diesel and hydrocarbon gases including
LPG, will gain traction while more radical
alternatives, such as hydrogen and nuclear,
should not be discounted.
His assessment included a review of some
of the leading alternatives to oil and gas and
their likely future development.
• Biofuel use is rising; fatty acid methyl ester
(FAME) bio-diesel is widely available but
increasing resistance by society will make
next-generation algae-derived bio-oils much
more attractive.
• Methanol is generally sourced from
natural gas feedstocks but, with renewable
feedstock being available, has great
potential as a clean fuel. Although it is
toxic and flammable, fuel handling and risk
management for methanol is simpler than
for LNG as it is not a cryogenic liquid.
• Nuclear energy is mature, clean and reliable
but its acceptance faces significant political,
regulatory and societal challenges.
• Renewable energy, such as wind and solar,
will augment traditional gas or oil fuels but
are unlikely to replace them.
• Hydrogen has traditionally been energy-
intensive to produce in large quantities
and risk management is challenging but
it is potentially both clean and abundant.
If efforts to reduce the cost of generating
hydrogen are successful, then it could
become the holy grail of energy: a cheap,
clean and abundant fuel.
In the longer term, added LR’s global
technology leader Ed Fort, hydrogen offers
the prospect of true zero-emission power
generation. While the operation of internal
combustion engines on hydrogen is possible,
and has been demonstrated, it is unlikely
that the evolution of IC engine technology
would extend to operation on hydrogen.
Instead, should hydrogen become a viable
marine fuel in terms of cost and availability,
it may be expected that fuel cell technology
would be the choice for power generators of
the future. Fuel cells are not constrained by
the efficiency limits of the otto and diesel
thermodynamic cycles and offer significantly
higher efficiencies from solid state, silent
and vibration-free systems.
LR, which can claim extensive experience
with marine fuel cell technology, is currently
engaged in a number of development
projects, including an evaluation of both
onboard hydrogen generation and low
temperature hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Maersk Line is primed to test and purchase biofuel in 2015 when tougher controls on sulphur content increase the cost of fuel oil, reported the Danish shipping group’s climate and environmental manager Jacob Sterling.
“We use 10 million tonnes of bunker fuel a year for our ships. Instead of buying expensive low-sulphur oil in 2015 we
would equally like to buy some kind of low quality second generation biofuels, where we also get a carbon dioxide advantage.”
Maersk Line is preparing to try out different types of biofuel and has an agreement with an Antwerp-based company that produces biofuels from lignin, a residue of producing bioethanol from straw. The group is also involved in
a large Danish research project, in which companies such as Topsoe, Novozymes and MAN Diesel & Turbo aim to develop a sulphur-free alternative to marine diesel oil from lignin.
“We believe that biofuels will be the successor to marine diesel in the long term, and do not really see any other options,” asserts Mr Sterling.
No option but biofuels for the leading container ship operator
(photo: Port of Felixstowe)
GLEAMS pursues the potential of glycerolA byproduct of the expanding biofuel industry,
glycerol (commonly glycerine) is proposed
as a safe, sustainable, low emissions and
low carbon fuel for marine diesel engines.
The attractions are summarised by the
UK Technology Strategy Board’s GLEAMS
(Glycerine Fuel for Engines and Marine
Sustainability) project as:
• burns with a higher efficiency than diesel fuel
• very low NOx emissions, no sulphur ›››
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 99www.mpropulsion.com
Maersk plans future with biofuels
LR assesses alternatives to oil
fuels & lubes
Gas fuel option for Q-Max LNG carrier
More mass flow metering in Singapore
A project commissioned by Qatari shipping
company Nakilat and the LNG producers
Qatargas and RasGas calls for the conversion
of a low speed diesel engine to burn natural
gas as an alternative to heavy fuel oil. One of
the company’s large Q-Max LNG carriers will
benefit from the retrofit, reportedly the first of
an MAN B&W two-stroke engine in service to
ME-GI (Gas Injection) specification.
The modification – assigned to the Nakilat-
Keppel Offshore & Marine yard in Qatar’s
port of Ras Laffan – will enable the engine
to handle cargo boil-off gas and meet global
emission regulations. The cleaner fuel is also
expected to allow longer times-between-
overhaul for the engine as well as providing
fuel supply flexibility in reaction to market
changes. Using boil-off gas as a bunker fuel
source in LNG shipping has hitherto been
confined to tonnage powered by steam
turbine/boiler plant or medium speed dual/tri-
fuel diesel-electric machinery.
The 266,000m3 Q-Max LNGCs are powered
by twin MAN B&W 6-cylinder S70ME-C diesel
engines which can be converted to gas-burning
GI status.
• LNG carrier newbuildings are now being
specified with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s MAN
B&W ME-GI low speed engines allowing cargo
boil-off gas to be burned as fuel.
Among the references, twin five-cylinder
G70ME-GI packages will drive 173,400m3
carriers ordered by Teekay LNG Partners, while
twin seven-cylinder G70ME-GI engines will
power a pair of 176,300m3 carriers booked by
Knutsen OAS. The latter plants are expected to
yield fuel savings of more than 30 tonnes of gas
per day over an equivalent medium speed dual-
fuel diesel-electric installation at a normal ship
speed of 15-17 knots.
• Burckhardt Compression reports growing
business for its fully balanced Laby-GI
compressor to serve LNG carriers specified
with MAN B&W dual-fuel two-stroke engines.
The Swiss designer’s compressors will inject
cargo boil-off gas into the ME-GI engine for
use as a fuel; an onboard facility also enables
boil-off gas to be reliquefied and returned to
the cargo tanks.
Laby-GI compressors can handle LNG boil-
off gas at suction temperatures down to -1700C
without pre-heating the gas or pre-cooling the
compressor. A gas-tight housing eliminates gas
emissions and losses to the environment.
Preparing to go for gas: one of Nakilat’s Q-Max LNGC fleet
››› emissions and virtually no particulate
matter emissions
• non-toxic, water soluble and almost impossible
to ignite accidentally.
Glycerol-burning engine technology is
reportedly proven in combined heat and power
plant, and retrofits for existing diesel engines are
said to be readily executed, with modifications only
required to the external engine aspiration system.
A relatively low energy density compared
with fossil fuels is partially offset by the fuel’s
increased efficiency; and while a greater volume
of glycerol needs to be carried for a given range
its low hazard nature would allow additional
storage in the hull spaces of many vessels.
Glycerol is applicable for use in diesel
engines of any size but until a comprehensive
distribution network is established GLEAMS
will concentrate on markets where limited
volumes of fuel are required and bunkering
typically occurs at a single location. The potential
early candidates are identified as offshore
support vessels, ferries, survey and pilot boats,
fishing craft, dredgers, marine police and small
commercial and leisure vessels.
The benign characteristics of glycerol are
considered particularly attractive for operators in
environmentally sensitive areas.
Participating in the GLEAMS project are
Aquafuel Research, Gardline Marine Sciences,
Lloyd’s Register EMEA, Marine South East and
Redwing Environmental. Potential end-users
and other interested parties can engage with the
project through an online forum by joining the
GLEAMS Interest Group.
Dutch tug trials Shell GTL fuelRoyal Boskalis’s Rotterdam-based Smit Elbe
recently became the first tug in the Netherlands
to be fuelled with Shell GTL (gas-to-liquids). The
vessel will use GTL for six months to determine
whether the fuel can effect a sizeable reduction
in emissions without engine modifications.
Emission measurements will be taken at
regular intervals, the pilot project providing
data for a wider emissions reduction policy for
the port of Rotterdam.
GTL, a liquid fuel produced from natural gas
and converted into synthetic diesel by chemical
transformation, is claimed to produce much
lower emissions of NOx, SOx, particulates
and black smoke than regular diesel. The
hydrocarbon fuel contains no sulphur, aromatics
or toxic constituents. Blending 20 per cent of
GTL diesel with conventional diesel reportedly
results in a fuel that exceeds almost all
international environmental standards for 2015.
Built in 2007, Smit Elbe is powered by twin
Caterpillar 3516B TA high speed engines, each
delivering 1,839kW and arranged to drive an
azimuthing propulsion thruster with a fixed
pitch propeller.
Another two ExxonMobil-chartered bunker
tankers in Singapore are now available with
the group's own mass flow metering system,
taking its Maritime and Port Authority
(MPA)-approved fleet to three vessels. Ship
operators can reportedly save up to three hours
and US$7,000 per delivery, with increased
transparency during bunkering.
ExxonMobil’s system was developed in
collaboration with the MPA and Singapore’s
Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board
to provide improved accuracy and efficiency,
significant cost and time savings, enhanced system
integrity and higher traceability and transparency.
Efficiency is raised throughout the
bunkering process by measuring fuel mass
directly and reducing the uncertainties
associated with density, temperature and other
variables such as tank geometry. The supplier
estimated cost savings can be achieved by
measuring these variables in real time, which
also avoids human calculation errors associated
with traditional tank dipping.
Measurement data is also logged
throughout, offering a transparent and accurate
record of fuel transferred to the tanks. MP
100 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
FILTREX
FILTREX ACB® Ballast Water Filter. Unmatched efficiency
and care-free operation.
FILTREX srlCorporate Headquarters: Via R. Rubattino 94/B - 20134 Milano (ITALY) tel: +39 027 533 841- fax: +39 027 531 383 www.filtrex.it - [email protected]
We know how to handle water
keeping the course9 – 12 september 2014
hamburgthe leading international
maritime trade fair
10 sept security and defence day
12 sept recruiting day
8 sept fi nance day
9 sept environmental protection day
11 sept offshore day
What impact does Offshore business have on the maritime industry?Meet the experts and get insights fi rst!
buy your SMM ticket online – save 10% and waiting time at
the cash desk
smm-hamburg.com/visit
smm-hamburg.com
scan the QR code and view the traileror visit smm-hamburg.com/trailer
532998 I HMC – SMM – Anzeige I Motiv: Offshore I Datei: HMC_532998_SMM_AZ_Offshore_210x142 I 4c Euroskala, Offset I Format: 210 x 142 mm I Beschnitt: 3 mm Titel: Rivieramm | DU: 16.01.14 | Dieses Dokument ist ohne Überfüllungen angelegt. Diese sind vor weiterer Verarbeitung anzulegen.
bunker bulletin
World bunker prices
Prices are latest (mid-range) listed in US$ as at 21 March 2014MTD = delivered EXW = ex-wharf PP = posted price
Information supplied by Stuart Murray – Bunker BrokerWilhelmsen Premier Marine Fuels Ltdt: +44 1322 282 940e: [email protected]: stuartm_wpmf
EUROPE 380cst 3.5% 380cst 1% 180cst 3.5% MDO MGORotterdam MTD 578 655 608 N/A 865Antwerp MTD 578 655 608 N/A 865Gibraltar MTD 595 675 629 N/A 945Falmouth MTW 612-614 676-679 662-663 N/A 933-943Gothenburg MTD 587 665 622 965 935Las Palmas MTW 608 693 630 930 940Malta MTD 586 715 (N/A) 605 N/A 902Piraeus MTD 593-598 690 622-627 N/A 911-916St. Petersburg MTD* 410 490 440 N/A 840
FAR EAST 380cst 3.5% 380cst 1% 180cst 3.5% MDO MGOSingapore MTD 590-600 680 608-615 N/A 895-915Tokyo MTD* 657-659 971 667-669 943-948 N/ABusan MTD 629-632 702-712 660-663 N/A 946-951Hong Kong MTD 602-608 734-736 614-616 N/A 910-917Shanghai MTW 625-627 793-798 666-670 N/A 1062-1068
Latest prices WTI BRENT GAS OIL Close $98.90 (-$1.47) $106.45 (+$0.60) $888.75 (+$1.75)Current $99.42 $106.98 $897.00Change +$0.52 +$0.53 +$8.25
MID.EAST/S.AFRICA 380cst 3.5% 380cst 1% 180 3.5% MGOFujairah MTD 605 N/A 635 975 / 1020 (LS)Durban MTW* N/A N/A 609 1037Dammam MTD (PP) 605 N/A 615 980Jeddah MTD (PP) 690 N/A 725 1070Richards Bay MTW* N/A N/A 619 1047Suez MTD 685-686 N/A 720-721 1069-1070
AMERICAS 380cst 3.5% 380cst 1% 180cst 3.5% MGONew York MTW 604.50 681 659.50 1022.50New Orleans MTW 625 737 658 971.50Houston MTW 582 689.50 652 976Vancouver MTW 597.50 852.50 649.50 1093Panama MTW 620 797.50 681 1053Santos MTD 618 626 639.50 980
HFO to sustain market dominanceResearch by Lloyd’s Register and University
College London’s Energy Institute has explored
the drivers for the energy mix in shipping
in 2030. Their report indicates that, in all
scenarios, heavy fuel oil will remain the main
fuel for deepsea shipping; LNG will develop a
deepsea bunker market share of 11 per cent;
and low sulphur heavy fuel oil and hydrogen
will emerge as alternatives in certain scenarios.
Global Marine Fuel Trends 2030, released in
March by LR, offers insight into the future
fuel demands of the container ship, bulk
carrier/general cargo and tanker sectors, which
represent around 70 per cent of the global
shipping industry’s bunker requirements.
Shipping decision makers will benefit
from a clearer understanding of the three
potential scenarios for marine fuel demand,
defined as: Status Quo; Global Commons;
and Competing Nations.
“I think the report underlines that any
transition from a dependency on HFO will be
an evolutionary process,” said project leader
Dimitris Argyros, the class society’s lead
environmental consultant.
“LNG is forecast to grow from a very low
base to a significant market share by 2030 even
if there is no major retrofit revolution; most of
the LNG take-up will be in newbuildings. But it
is important to note that an 11 per cent share in
2030 is the equivalent in volume of about 20 per
cent of the bunker market today,” he remarked.
This growth, however, does not depend
only on the shipping industry, he suggested.
“What we can say is that the uptake of engine
and alternative propulsion technology and
the emergence of non-fossil fuels can only be
driven by a society’s ability to create a world
with lower greenhouse gas emissions – the
technology is not the barrier.”
The key drivers “will be policy and markets,”
he said. “Shipping can control its own destiny
to some extent but shipowners can only focus
on compliance and profitability. If society wants
lower GHG emissions and cleaner fuel, change in
shipping has to be driven by practical regulation
and market forces so that cleaner, more efficient
ships are more profitable than less efficient ships
with higher GHG emissions.”
• Read the full report at www.lr.org/gmft2030.
IBIA urges compliance with ISO standards as engines developIn a bid to improve bunker quality across the
marine fuel supply chain, the International
Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has called
on suppliers to adopt the ISO 2010 specifications
for bunkers. It is estimated that only a quarter
of bunker suppliers are currently delivering in
accordance with those specifications.
“ECO vessels are now entering the market
equipped with engines which are more
sensitive than ever before,” IBIA chairman Jens
Maul Jorgensen commented recently.
“The ISO specs were agreed four years ago
because there was a real need for them. Yet
only 25 per cent of suppliers are supplying in
accordance with these specs. Indeed, tested
samples found to be off-spec reached an all-time
high in 2013, with one-quarter not reaching the
required standards. Something is wrong.”
IBIA is addressing the problem and has
submitted a paper to IMO calling for clarity and
transparency in the marine fuel supply chain. It
has recommended:
• a process of data collection from
bunker suppliers;
• a process for authorities and inspectors to
report non-compliance with Annex VI;
• regulations to minimise the risk of
non-compliant fuels arising from fuel
blending activity;
• enforcement procedures to ensure that
ship operators can have a greater degree of
confidence in their suppliers;
• the collection of data from fuel suppliers, fuel
testing companies and shipping companies to
identify the root cause of fuel quality problems.
IBIA chief executive Peter Hall added that his
organisation will be engaging with shipowners
directly at a series of forums around the world in
conjunction with other shipping bodies. Practical
advice on fuel quality standards and problem
avoidance will be disseminated. MP
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 103www.mpropulsion.com
Jens Maul Jorgensen (IBIA): New engines are more sensitive (credit: IBIA)
104 I Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 www.mpropulsion.com
M ore than a century and a half ago,
the steam ship Great Britain was a
pioneering dual-fuelled ship, with both
wind and coal driving it forward. When it was
launched in 1843 it was the largest ship afloat
and, for the first time, combined an iron hull and
a screw propeller to become the first iron steamer
to cross the Atlantic.
But it was competing against ships that were
either sail or steam, yet it was neither the best
sailing vessel nor the best steam ship. In 1852
and under new ownership it was given a new
engine and a more efficient propeller to operate
to Australia, but it relied more on sail than steam
to save money. Finally, in 1882, the engine was
removed to make it competitive and it became a
pure sailing cargo ship – ironically, to carry coal.
That was an early demonstration that fuel
flexibility comes at a price. While many today
have expressed the view that dual-fuel is the only
answer in today’s world, there are both benefits
and drawbacks. On the plus side, if your ship can
carry both liquid fuel and gas fuel then you have
no concerns about fuel availability if there is poor
gas supply infrastructure.
Where a ship’s area of operation is variable and
uncertain, operators may experience the marine
equivalent of the ‘range anxiety’ experienced by
drivers of electric cars and worry about whether
they will be able to refuel en-route; in these instances,
the ability to revert to liquid fuel is comforting.
However, compared to a single fuel engine,
there will be an efficiency penalty for the low
pressure dual-fuel engine while running on
gas and a considerable efficiency penalty when
running on liquid, since dual-fuel engines run
with a BMEP of 19-21 bar and conventional diesels
run at 25-28 bar. Add to this the space and weight
penalty from including two sets of fuel tanks with
the consequent loss of earning capacity, plus the
significantly higher initial cost of the engine and
its gas fuel system, and it is difficult to see how the
ship can be competitive over its lifespan.
Meanwhile, the LNG supply chain is developing,
although some areas are rather better covered than
others; availability and demand will tend to develop
alongside one another. Where routes are fixed –
ferry services, for instance – or where the area of
operations is constrained, such as for coastguards
and coastal trades, then an infrastructure for
security of fuel supply can be implemented and
pure-gas fuelled ships are then highly attractive.
From a technical point of view, by the end of
2013 the marine industry had largely removed, or
developed solutions for, any obstacles that stood in
the way of gas becoming the dominant marine fuel
within a generation. Gas-engines, both two- and
four-stroke, are being developed and released at
an increasing pace by all the major manufacturers.
Gas-fuelled ship designs and their accompanying
safety rules are also being developed and built in
increasing numbers.
However, although liquid fuel engines are now
available to meet the stringent emission targets
of IMO Tier III and EPA Tier 4 without off-engine
after-treatment, they cannot take advantage of
lower fuel costs of gas. Gas fuelled engines are
available in Otto-cycle (spark-ignited single-gas
and low-pressure dual-fuel) and diesel-cycle
(high-pressure dual fuel) and both cycles apply to
both two- and four-stroke engines. Which engine
technology is right for your ships depends upon
their duty and area of operations.
During the 2000s, increasingly tight emissions
regulations for NOx, and for particulates challenged
engine designers to improve liquid combustion
technology. Initially, combustion chamber shape,
improved turbochargers and higher-pressure
injectors (to reduce particulates and improve
combustion) were adopted and then the Miller-
Cycle was introduced (to reduce combustion
temperature thus NOx). Most recently, two-stage
turbocharging has become available to improve
Miller-Cycle engine power and efficiency.
Marine Propulsion has regularly covered such
developments as exhaust gas recirculation, which
some enginebuilders are using to meet NOx
limits from liquid fuel without off-engine after-
treatment. But others seem reluctant to follow,
instead focusing their efforts on gas-fuelled
engines that will meet the limits while, most
importantly, taking advantage of very low gas fuel
prices in most parts of the world.
So the growing expectation in the marine
industry and within the major engine manufacturers
is that gas LNG will increasingly and rapidly become
a significant fuel throughout the world and for
many ship types. The battle is now beginning as
to which technology will win: Otto- or diesel-cycle.
Dual-fuel engines do not have a long-term
role in this scenario. Like Great Britain, ships that
fit them will be overtaken by their rivals as gas
becomes the new steam. MP
*David Bricknell is the owner and principal of
Brycheins, an independent design and engineering
consultancy. He has over 40 years’ experience and
was formerly vice president for systems, product
strategy and business development for Rolls-Royce
powertalk
Dual-fuel has no long-term futureDual-fuel technology is establishing a role in current propulsion concepts but a lesson from the past offers a warning for the future, says David Bricknell*
This general comparison illustrates how dual fuel options, whether high pressure or low pressure, cannot match pure gas-fuelled systems at most load levels (credit: Brycheins)
HP DF on gas or liquid
incr
easi
ng e
ffici
ency
gas – spark ignition
LP DF on gas
LP DF on liquid
20 per cent load 100 per cent
COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY FOR COMPETING GAS TECHNOLOGIES
Save Thousands of Dollars Per Year!Can Make Pumps or Parts for ANY Pump Application• NEVER CORRODES IN SALT WATER OR WASTE WATER!
SIMSITE® Structural Composite Pumps, Impellers, Rings & Parts
Upgrade with Simsite® New Technology For Safety
and Longevity!
Custom-engineering pumps to meet your specific requirements.Since 1919.
Sims Pump Valve Company, Inc • 1314 Park Ave, Hoboken, NJ 07030 USAPhone +1 (201) 792-0600 • www.SIMSITE.com
Email: [email protected]
Specialists in • Hydraulic Design• Cavitation• Structural Composites
Replace, Upgrade, or Re-Design Your Pumps & Impellers!Replace, Upgrade, or Re-Design Your Pumps & Impellers!
www.SIMSITE.com
Pump Company
• Increase Complete Pump Life-Cycle by many years!
• Improve the efficiency of the pump• Increase the reliability
of the complete pump• Use less energy• Save Thousands of Dollars
of operating costs!• Better Performance.
“OLD TECHNOLOGY – METAL”
® SKF is a registered trademark of the SKF Group | © SKF Group 2014® Blohm + Voss is a registered trademark of Blohm + Voss Shipyards GmbH and used under license
The Power of Knowledge Engineering
Twice the passionBlohm + Voss Industries has joined SKF, making Simplex and Turbolo part of the SKF portfolio. Bringing two of the leading companies in marine reliability and innovation together. And doubling our commitment to lower your operating costs and maximize availability while minimizing your environmental impact. Find out more from any SKF offi ce or Blohm + Voss Industries sales agent anywhere in the world. Or visit us at www.bv-industries.com or www.skf.com/marine