The MAN B&W 7S90ME-GI (Gas Injection) engines, to be manufactured by licensee Hyundai, are the largest ever ordered, and will be capable of operation using Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) or LNG, with an output of 42,700kW each.
The vessels, meanwhile, are to be constructed at US shipyard Aker Philadelphia, and will be the ever largest Jones Act boxships at 3,600teu. The ships are designed to move quickly at speeds of 23 knots and over, capable of sufficiently shallow draft so as to operate in the smaller ports of Hawaii.
Alongside the dual-fuel engines, the vessels will incorporate fuel-efficient features such as a fully optimised hull design, environmentally safe double-hull fuel tanks and freshwater ballast water treatment systems. Matson ceo Matt Cox said: "These state-of-the-art advancements are important to Hawaii as a means to reduce fuel consumption, resulting in significant emission reductions over time in our home trade.”
Senior vp at MAN D&T Low-Speed Sales and Promotions, Ole Grøne, pointed out the beneficial mechanics of the engines. “The ME-GI has a number of inherent characteristics that we feel give it a decided advantage in the market. Primarily, it is a Diesel engine in contrast to the other dual- or triple-fuel engines on the market, which are Otto engines. Simply put, engines that operate according to the Diesel principle have a higher efficiency and power concentration than those following the Otto principle.
“Furthermore, in the light of after-treatment, a Diesel engine’s performance can benefit from NO x control, both in regard to fuel and gas, and within both Tier II and Tier III areas.”
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