The ME-GI is MAN Diesel & Turbo’s dual-fuel, two-stroke, gas-injection engine and represents the culmination of many years’ work that began in the 1990s with a prototype engine at a power plant near Tokyo.
A highly efficient, flexible, propulsion-plant solution, the company received its first orders for the new engine in December 2012, including 2 × 2 MAN B&W 5G70ME-GI units for two Teekay LNG carriers, with an option for three further ships.
The ME-GI engine gives shipowners and operators the option of using either HFO or gas — predominantly natural gas but also LPG and methane. MAN Diesel & Turbo stated: “With the current flux in fuel prices and the new Environmental Control Areas (ECAs), the timing for the release of a commercial, low-speed, dual-fuel engine was right. We view the order as confirmation that customers understand the extremely positive commercial and environmental implications of the ME-GI.”
The ME-GI engine uses high-pressure gas injection that allows it to maintain the numerous positive attributes of MAN B&W low-speed engines that have made them the default choice of the maritime community. The ME-GI dispenses with the need for power derating and eliminates methane slip. It also significantly reduces NOx and SOx emissions and is therefore the most environmentally friendly technology available.
MAN Diesel & Turbo, February 28, 2013