German provider of engines and turbomachinery MAN Diesel & Turbo has pledged a EUR 2 million (USD 2.35 million) discount to shipowners for ten retrofits to liquified natural gas from existing heavy fuel oil engines.
The announcement was made by Wayne Jones, OBE, Chief Sales Officer of MAN Diesel & Turbo last week while speaking at ‘Our Ocean 2017 Conference’ in Malta.
The company has just completed the retrofitting of Wes Amelie, a 1,036 TEU feeder containership, owned by Wessels Reederei, with a liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine.
The project involved the retrofitting of the ship’s MAN 8L48/60B main engine to a multi-fuel, four-stroke MAN 51/60DF unit that enables dual-fuel operation – the first such conversion of its type the world has ever seen.
Launched on August 23, the ship was undergoing the conversion at the German Dry Docks in Bremerhaven since May 2017.
The project was supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
“MAN Diesel & Turbo believes that it is time for what we call a ‘Maritime Energy Transition’ to find clean solutions for seaborne trade and transportation,” Jones said.
“Just recently, my company set a new benchmark with the world’s first conversion of a container ship from conventional fuel to gas operation. In order to encourage more ship owners to follow this example, MAN Diesel & Turbo is pledging a 2 million Euro discount for 10 such LNG-retrofits to convert existing HFO engines into modern, clean, efficient gas-engines. In doing so, we hope to play our part in moving the world’s fleet towards the clean technology our industry and our oceans deserve,” Jones concluded.