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Fuel-Saving Two-Stroke Gas Engines for New Teekay Vessels

Two new 173,400-cubic meter LNG carriers ordered by Teekay LNG Partners will be the first ships of their kind to use fuel-saving MAN Diesel & Turbo ME-GI dual-fuel ultra-long two-stroke gas injection engines, according to Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

DNV approved the engines in 2010 and said their use in the new ships' "innovative propulsion package" should provide significant fuel savings compared with typical LNG carrier propulsion systems.

The engines, which Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea will use in constructing the ships, can automatically switch between LNG and fuel oil depending on power demands, making port-to-port operation on LNG possible.

"These engines place us at the forefront of technology in the marketplace," said Tony Bingham, Teekay's technical manager for LNG.

"We benefit, our charterers benefit and so does the environment through lower SOx [sulfur oxides], NOx [nitrogen oxides], CO2 [carbon dioxide] and particulate emissions."

Bingham said the ship will use a "revolutionary re-liquefaction plant" that consumes less than 300 kilowatts and can re-liquefy any excess boil-off at speeds below 15 knots.

"This unique design ensures that the maximum cargo is delivered to the customer at the lowest unit freight cost in the industry," he said.

The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2016, and Teekay has an option to buy three additional ships.

Dual-fuel technology has become increasingly popular for LNG carriers in recent years.

Wärtsilä Corporation said in May that it first fitted dual-fuel engines in an LNG carrier in 2006 and has since provided them to 100 such vessels.

Fuente: Ship and Bunker