MAN Energy Solutions has won the order to supply 10 × MAN B&W 7G80ME-GI Mk9.5 dual-fuel engines to a series of 10 × 300,000-dwt VLCCs distributed among shipowners, Advantage Tankers (4), AET (3) and International Seaways (3). Another new segment for the ME-GI, the newbuildings will operate globally as charters for a major oil company. HSD Engine will construct the engines in Korea, while DSME will build the vessels, again in Korea.

Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President and Head of Two-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions, said: "This is a significant order on several fronts owing to its size and the ME-GI’s début in yet another segment. The engine’s characteristics make it eminently suitable for LNG and non-LNG carriers alike due to its service experience, low methane slip, high efficiency, and fuel flexibility – whether running on fuel-oil, or LNG where it accepts any gas quality available in the market."

Foldager continued: “These crude carriers will be powered by mature engine technology that continues to make inroads into new markets and segments. As we move towards a zero-carbon future, the ME-GI showcases MAN Energy Solutions’  dual-fuel engine portfolio that is future-proofed to handle whatever alternative fuels come to prominence in the decades ahead.”

The new order follows a slew of recent orders announced globally for the engine in recent months. MAN Energy Solutions stated in January 2021 that its low-speed, dual-fuel references in their entirety then exceeded 360 units, with the ME-GI recording over 1.5 million operating hours on LNG alone.

The ME-GI engine – the new industrial standard

MAN Energy Solutions successful ME-GI (-Gas Injection) engine has set a new industrial standard for two-stroke propulsion engines aboard – among others –  container vessels, bulk carriers, tankers, LNG carriers and car carriers. The ME-GI engine provides ship-owners and operators with a peerless solution within environmentally friendly and high-efficiency, two-stroke technology, without the greenhouse emissions such as methane slip that are characteristic of competing engines.

With the ME-GI engine, two-stroke development has taken a step further by combining the unique properties of multi-fuel combustion and the well-known reliability of MAN Energy Solutions ME-engine. The Diesel principle not only provides the ME-GI engine with high operational stability and efficiency, but also ensures 100% stable and reliable operation during load changes on gas with just normal additions of pilot-oil amounts. Furthermore, the ME-GI operational principles features a seamless change-over between gas operation and diesel operation  The ME-GI engine is the most environmentally-friendly technology available within the two-stroke engine segment.

MAN Energy Solutions has also developed an ME-LGI (-Liquid Gas Injection) dual-fuel engine that expands the company’s dual-fuel portfolio, enabling the use of more sustainable fuels such as methanol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The Maritime Energy Transition

MAN Energy Solutions believes that it is time for what it terms a ‘Maritime Energy Transition’ to find clean, decarbonised solutions for seaborne trade and transportation. Essentially, it is the company’s call to action to reduce emissions and establish natural gases as the fuels of choice in global shipping. It strongly promotes a global ‘turn to gas’, driven by the IMO, and a common approach by the shipping industry and politics to invest in infrastructure development and retrofits.