Crowley Opts for MAN B&W ME-GI

Florida-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, the marine solutions, transportation and logistics company, has placed an order for 2 × ConRo ships. Each vessel will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and 3 × MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines.

The ConRo ships – with container Lift-On/Lift-Off (LO/LO) and Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO/RO) – will be built by VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi.

They will be named ‘El Coquí’ and ‘Taíno’, and are scheduled for delivery in the second and fourth quarters of 2017, respectively.

The vessels will be two of the world’s first LNG-powered ConRo ships, designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots, and carry various sized containers, along with hundreds of vehicles in enclosed, weather-tight car decking.

Crowley selected the high-pressure, Diesel-cycle ME-GI engines due to their high efficiency and power concentration. The ME-GI’s ability to avoid derating, and its negligible methane slip, also contributed to its selection.

The new, double-hulled ConRo ships will be 219.5 m long, 32.3 m wide (beam), have a deep draught of 10 m, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 teu, with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles.

The ME-GI engine represents the culmination of many years’ work. The ME-GI engine gives shipowners and operators the option of utilizing fuel or gas depending on relative price and availability, as well as environmental considerations. A ME-LGI counterpart that uses LPG, methanol and other liquid gasses is also available, and has already been ordered.

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Press Release, January 10, 2014