First Order Placed for LNG-Powered Car Carrier

Image: UECC

MAN Diesel & Turbo reports today they have received an order from United European Car Carriers (UECC) to supply dual-fuel ME-GI 2-stroke engines for the world’s first LNG-powered Pure Car/Truck Carriers (PCTCs).

The two-ship order was placed at the NACKS shipyard in Nantong, China, a joint venture between Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company. Delivery for both vessels is scheduled for
the second half of 2016.

MAN notes a single MAN B&W 8S50ME-GI dual-fuel engine will power each vessel and when in service,
they will be capable of completing a fourteen-day round trip in the Baltic operating solely on LNG, including main engine and auxiliary power generation.

The vessels will be refueled in Zeebrugge using a dedicated LNG bunkering vessel

Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC, has previously stated: “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 pure car and truck
carrier. We are proud of the exciting step UECC is taking towards greener and more environmentally friendly shipping.”

Greener and more environmentally friendly shipping isn’t just a catchy phrase however. Next year, highly stringent emissions regulations will be coming into force within the Baltic region requiring vessels that operate in that area to either use ultra-low sulfur fuel oil, which is much more expensive than heavy fuel oil, or utilize emissions scrubbers or switch to LNG as a fuel source.

Ordered initially for a pair of LNG carriers for Teekay, the ME-GI dual fuel engine utilizes high pressure gas injection into the engine at between 250 to 300 bar.

“The thermal efficiency and output remain equivalent to that obtained when burning conventional heavy fuel oil,” notes MAN Diesel & Turbo. “The high-pressure gas injection system offers the advantage of being almost
independent of gas/oil fuel mixture, as long as a small amount of pilot oil fuel is injected for ignition.”

UECC transports around 1.5 million vehicles per year aboard their fleet of 23 ships.

Vessel particulars:

Length overall (m): 181
Beam (m): 30
Designed draught moulded (m): 8.40
Gross tonnage (t): 43,200
Deadweight at design draught (dwt): 12,182
Main engine 1 × 8S50ME-GI, Mark 8.2
maximum continuous output (kW) 11,000 @ 113 rpm
normal output (80%MCO) (kW) 8,800 @ 105 rpm
speed: optimised/design (kn) 16.5/18.6
Turbochargers: 2 x TCA66
Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A Super1
Cargo: Primarily cars and trucks
Capacity Approx. 3,800 standard-sized cars,
spread over 10 decks (31,900 m2)

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