MAN Diesel and Turbo has completed the conversion of a feeder container ship’s main engine to a multi-fuel engine that allows dual-fuel operation.

Known as Wes Amelie, the retrofitted ship is operated by German coastal vessel operator Wessels Reederei and has already resumed service on its usual route between the North and Baltic Seas.

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As part of the conversion, the 1,036TEU vessel’s MAN 8L48/60B main engine is replaced with a multi-fuel, four-stroke MAN 51/60DF unit.

TGE Marine Engineering has provided the tank and LNG components for Wes Amelie at the German Dry Docks in Bremerhaven, Germany.

France-based classification society Bureau Veritas has ranked the conversion, which also marks the closing of the Wes Amelie liquefied natural gas (LNG) conversion project signed between Wessels Reederei and MAN Diesel and Turbo in November 2015.

Wessels Reederei general manager Christian Hoepfner said: “The Wes Amelie operates in the highly regulated Nordic and Baltic Seas.

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“Since they are both within Emission Control Areas, the ship needs to meet the highest environmental standards and strictest limits for emissions.

"The latest conversion is expected to allow Wes Amelie to reduce its sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions by more than 99%, nitrogen oxide (NOx) by around 90%, and carbon dioxide (CO2) by up to 20%."

“By converting to a low-emission fuel, we are safeguarding the future of this container ship, as well as our own competitiveness in the market.”

The latest conversion is expected to allow Wes Amelie to reduce its sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions by more than 99%, nitrogen oxide (NOx) by around 90%, and carbon dioxide (CO2) by up to 20%.

The vessel is also capable of meeting the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Tier II and Tier III emission requirements.

Around 40,000 cargo vessels are currently operating across the globe. Decarbonisation of the shipping industry is required to begin immediately if the industry aims to meet its goal of being climate neutral by 2050, noted MAN Diesel and Turbo.

Image: A container ship on water. Photo: courtesy of MAN Diesel and Turbo.

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