MAN ES’ low-emission engines to power Svitzer’s TRAnsverse tugs

Turkish Uzmar Shipyards has selected MAN Energy Solutions’ (MAN ES) 12V175D-MM marine propulsion engines for Svitzer’s TRAnsverse tugboats.

As disclosed, each shipset will consist of 2 × 2,400 kW-rated engines and will provide mechanical propulsion power for the TRAnsverse tugs.

MAN Energy Solutions’ production facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark will supply the engines directly to Uzmar with deliveries respectively scheduled for November and December 2023, while vessel completions are planned for late 2024. Upon handover, the tugs will enter service as part of Svitzer’s Australian fleet.

“This important  order provides another clear example of the benefits of having compact 12-cylinder propulsion engines with this amount of power available for harbour tug applications,” Florian Keiler, Head of High Speed, MAN Energy Solutions, commented.

“The 175D is also an extremely eco-friendly engine, having been designed from the outset for low fuel consumption, coupled with compliance to the latest exhaust-gas-emission standards and considering as well future-fuel requirements where it is already cleared for operation on biofuels, such as FAME and HVO,” the engine manufacturer also noted.

“While always selecting engines that will be dependable in our diverse and often demanding marine-services operations many years into the future, the opportunities for decarbonisation are an equally important consideration,“ Kasper Karlsen, Chief Operating Officer at Svitzer, said.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, Svitzer is gradually introducing new, low-emission fuel types into its operations. The new engines will provide the opportunity to run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which can bring tank-to-wake carbon emissions to zero.

Last week, Svizer, which is part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, announced it will fuel a fleet of five tugs dedicated to the South Hook LNG Terminal in Milford Haven, with hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).