First Orders for Wärtsilä 82-cm
Wärtsilä’s licensed engine builders have in recent months booked orders for 52 of Wärtsilä’s new series of 82-cm bore low-speed marine engines with an aggregate power of 1726 MW. The engines were introduced to the market in the end of 2005. Orders for the new 82-cm bore engines have thus taken off with them being contracted for the propulsion of panamax-sized container ships and large tankers such as VLCCs for which they are specifically designed. Four engine types of the same 82-cm bore, the RT-flex82C, RTA82C, RT-flex82T and RTA82T types, are being developed by Wärtsilä Corporation. The first RT-flex82C engine is planned to begin testing in mid 2008, in cooperation with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd, Korea.Six 3400 TEU container ships have been ordered by the German owner Buxpower GmbH, each powered by a seven-cylinder Wärtsilä "82C" engine. The ships, contracted with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, will be built at Kiel (four ships) and Emden (two ships) with delivery due in 2009 and 2010. The engines, having a maximum continuous power of 31,640 kW at 102 rpm, will be built under licence by Doosan Engine Co Ltd, Korea.