MAN Energy Solutions completes remote type approval test for a new engine

MAN Energy Solutions and Korean counterpart STX Engine have carried a remote type approval test for a new engine.

German-based engine manufacturer said the type approval test was carried out on-site in Korea in early March 2021 with STX and MAN Energy Solutions staff on site and classification society joining remotely amid COVID-19 related restrictions.

The engine in question is L23/30H Mk3, which had secured its first order even before the test. Namely, in February 2021 STX Engine signed a contract with Daehan Shipbuilding for 3 × MAN 6L23/30H Mk3 GenSets for 1+1 vessels.

“TATs are an important step in the entry of every engine to the market. The fact that we could surmount the difficulties posed by the global pandemic with a remote solution to successfully get the engine approved is very pleasing. The experience gathered from this event will prove invaluable in the future,” Finn Fjeldhøj, Head of Small-Bore, Four-Stroke Engineering, MAN Energy Solutions, said.

MAN Energy Solutions’ Christian Rasmussen, Head of Classification Department, said that planning for the event began already in the summer of 2020 as a second wave of the virus hit and travel restrictions began to affect logistics.

“In response, we initiated a series of meetings with six major classification societies to investigate the possibilities for a remote type-test. Stemming from these, we developed a framework to successfully execute the TAT.”

The engines will achieve Tier III emission levels with the aid of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, and are provisionally scheduled for delivery in August 2021, according to MAN.

Applications for the engine include tankers, bulk carriers and product tankers as auxiliary engines, with some sales as prime movers for fishing trawlers and power plants. The engine is mostly diesel-driven, with LNG and bio-oil also used in special environmental areas.

The new Mk3 variant is a GenSet that complies with 2020 SO_x-regulations and has a power range of 500 – 1800 kW. Compared with its Mk2 predecessor, among other characteristics, it features:

• an increased power-output per cylinder
• a reduced fuel-oil consumption
• the longest TBO in its class
• an improved conrod design
• a two-part piston design for fast maintenance.

MAN Energy Solutions has also initiated a project with classification society, ABS, to further refine the structure of remote tests. The project is expected to conclude during 2021, after which the company expects to have defined an optimal flow for remote type approval tests.