MAN Energy Solutions has secured a contract from Hapag-Lloyd to convert a 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container vessel to dual-fuel operation.
Owned by Hapag-Lloyd, the MV Sajir vessel normally serves a route from Asia to northern Europe through the Suez canal.
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As part of the pilot project scheduled to take place in 2020, MAN will convert an existing, heavy fuel oil (HFO) burning MAN B&W 9S90ME-C engine to a dual-fuel MAN B&W ME-GI (gas injection) prime mover, which can run on HFO and liquid natural gas (LNG).
The retrofit will be carried out at the Chinese Hudong / HRDD shipyard.
MAN Energy Solutions chief sales officer Wayne Jones said: “With this announcement, MAN Energy Solutions is once again at the forefront of technology with our ability to execute LNG conversions for both four-stroke and two-stroke engines.”
“MAN Energy Solutions’ strategy is to provide complete, fully integrated solutions. Accordingly, MAN Cryo will install an entire gas system to supply gas to the main, as well as to the auxiliary engines, including a MAN Energy Solutions 300 bar high-pressure pump vaporizer system (PVU).”
Use of LNG in the shipping industry is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 15%-20% and sulphur dioxide and particulate matter by more than 90%.
Hapag-Lloyd Fleet Management managing director Richard von Berlepsch said: “By converting the ‘Sajir’, we will be the first shipping company to retrofit a container ship of this size to LNG propulsion.”
The DNV-GL-approved gas-storage system will occupy an area equivalent to 350 containers, including the pipework between storage and engine.
