Gas Engine Technology News

The world's largest cruise ship is set for its maiden voyage on Saturday, but environmental groups are concerned that the liquefied natural gas-powered vessel - and other giant cruise liners to follow - will leak harmful methane into the atmosphere.Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas sets sail from Miami with capacity for 8,000 passengers across 20 decks, taking advantage of the surging popularity of cruises.The ship is built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuel but poses greater risks for methane emissions.

EveRé, Elengy, TotalEnergies and the CMA CGM Group are engaged in a study of a BioLNG production plant project at Marseille’s port, aiming to to turn household waste into clean energy and serving as another plank toward the maritime industry's decarbonization.This will be France’s first production unit for liquefied biomethane (BioLNG), a low-carbon alternative fuel dedicated to energy transition in the shipping industry, and when operational is intended to be used primarily for the CMA CGM Group’s LNG-powered vessels.BioLNG…

Rolls-Royce engines powered solely by liquefied natural gas (LNG) have completed 25 million hours of operation on land and at sea, since their introduction in 1991. More than 650 Bergen lean burn gas engines are in service today, with a power output up to 9,600kW. The engines are used for a variety of applications ranging from powering ferries, cargo ships and tugs to a wide range of land-based power generation throughout the world. Dr. Mikael Makinen, Rolls-Royce President Marine, added, “Achieving 25 million running hours in almost 25 years is something we’re extremely proud of.

Rolls-Royce has signed a collaboration agreement with Spanish energy company Gas Natural Fenosa to develop and install a pure-gas Bergen engine aboard the Baleària-operated ferry Abel Matutes. According to Rolls-Royce , the contract gives the company its first reference for a pure-gas engine installation on a European-flagged ferry operating outside of Norwegian waters. The 29,670 metric ton ROPAX ferry, delivered in 2010 from the Hijos de J Barreras shipyard in Vigo, Spain, will use an LNG-fuelled Rolls-Royce Bergen C26:33 L6 AG auxiliary engine to generate 1…

With China seeking to boost its production of unconventional gas supplies to meet Asia's growing energy needs, GE Power & Water's Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) and China's leading drill rig manufacturer HongHua Group (HK 196) today signed a three-year agreement for GE to supply its Waukesha VHP gas engines that will power drill rigs used in new shale gas projects in China. The announcement was made at the Offshore Technology Conference being held in Houston. In recent years, GE's gas engine factory in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has seen orders steadily increase as more countries seek to develop their domestic natural gas resources to increase their local energy independence.

Caterpillar Marine announced the first shipment of Cat 3500 series marine gas engines from its Lafayette, Indiana manufacturing facility. Five Cat G3516 marine engines were selected to power the Becker Marine Systems subsidiary, Hybrid Port Energy, LNG-Hybrid Barge, the world’s first LNG-powered barge in the Port of Hamburg. The LNG-Hybrid barge will provide clean and efficient shore power to cold ironing cruise ships and serve as a backup power provider for the local Hamburg electric power and heat grid. The G3516 is a spark-ignited, gas engine specially designed to operate in commercial vessel applications. The solution is compliant with the strict Marine Classification Societies requirements, SOLAS and is certified by Bureau Veritas.

Wärtsilä says it has signed a turnkey contract to supply a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal to be built in Tornio, northern Finland. The contract, valued at approximately EUR 100 million, has been made with Manga LNG Oy, a joint venture between the Finnish companies Outokumpu Group, Ruukki Metals Oy, Gasum Oy and EPV Energy Ltd. The contract is conditional on receipt of investment support and Manga LNG Oy's contracts with other parties, including the gas suppliers.

Caterpillar, Wärtsilä and Volvo Penta introduce new, efficient and environmentally compliant engines. A crowded market becomes even more competitive. Forget all the worries about how industry would be able to comply with the coming changes to the regulatory scheme that affects marine propulsion and related emissions. Demand has met supply and it has done so robustly and in impressive form. And, if the past month is any indication, the innovation in the market is more than keeping up. This month, we provide just a sampling of the impressive developments in marine propulsion. Clearly, workboat operators now have a cornucopia of options for the repower and newbuild market, alike.

The latest version of Wärtsilä's 34 DF (Dual Fuel) marine diesel engine offers a power increase up to 500kw per cylinder. The Wärtsilä 34DF engine has proven to be a highly efficient and reliable solution for a wide range of vessel applications. The latest version is expected to expand that range even further. Lower fuel consumption of this engine will further improve its environmental performance. Since 2003,  Wärtsilä says that their 34DF has paved the way in the LNG-fuelled offshore support vessel market.

Teekay LNG Partners has ordered two 173,400m3 LNG carriers from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Korea. The vessels will each have two MAN Diesel & Turbo ME-GI dual-fuel, ultra long two-stroke gas injection engines. These engines received DNV type approval in 2010 and their use as part of an innovative propulsion package is claimed to give significant fuel savings when compared to propulsion commonly used for LNG carriers today. DNV experience from risk assessments of LNG-fuelled ships shows that a gas-fuelled main engine has the same risk level as a diesel-fuelled main engine.

Wärtsilä has now sold more than 2000 of its gas fuelled engines, which together have accumulated more than 7 million operational running hours in both land-based and marine applications. These milestone achievements emphasise the global position that Wärtsilä has achieved in gas and dual-fuel (DF) engine technology. "Wärtsilä's gas and dual-fuel engine technology can be used in all vessel types, and installed both in newbuilds and as conversion projects in existing ships. With…

Caterpillar Inc. Available in both 50 Hz- and 60 Hz-rated models, CG generator sets are designed for maximum efficiency in extended-duty distributed generation and cogeneration (combined heat-and-power) applications. Built for flexibility, CG generator sets can operate on gases of varying quality, including natural gas; biogases such as landfill, digester and sewage gas; coke gas; and coal mine methane. The new generator sets can be used in a variety applications, including industrial and commercial facilities, utilities, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, mines, greenhouses and farms. “At a time when energy efficiency and sustainability are on everyone’s minds…

Rolls-Royce won a second order for a vessel from its award winning Environship range. This gas powered ship will be used to supply feed to fish farms along the Norwegian coast. The vessel has been ordered by Norwegian company Eidsvaag AS and will operate a demanding schedule to ensure fish are fed at the same time every week, regardless of weather conditions. The NVC 401 Forage Carrier, is the latest ship design from the Rolls-Royce Environship range and incorporates a variety of features to reduce environmental impact while increasing efficiency.

Wärtsilä has tested its new low-speed gas engine technology in trials conducted at the company's facilities in Trieste, Italy. The tests were carried out on September 19 in conjunction with Wärtsilä's Licensees Conference in Trieste. Wärtsilä successfully demonstrated that the engine performance fully complies with the upcoming IMO Tier III nitrogen oxide (NOx) limits, thereby setting a new benchmark for low-speed engines running on gas. The new RTX5 2-stroke test engine is part of Wärtsilä's 2-stroke dual-fuel gas engine technology development programme. This is an important part of the company's strategy to lower emissions, increase efficiency and to develop its low-speed engine portfolio to include dual-fuel gas engines alongside its medium-speed dual-fuel engines.

More than 190 participants at the 5th annual Green Ship Technology conference in Rotterdam on March 11-12 explored the latest tide of ‘stick and carrot’ options for making shipping environmentally sustainable. Eco-friendly solutions aired at the forum ranged from legislative compulsion to commercially beneficial inducements. On the one hand, there were stark warnings that politicians are preparing to impose mandatory emissions rules if there is no firm outcome to meetings of the International Maritime Organization marine environment protection committee (MEPC) scheduled between now and mid-2009. But delegates also heard how a voluntary…

With more than 300 lean-burn, spark-ignited gas engines supplied for stationary power applications over the past 15 years, Rolls-Royce is making a determined bid to break into the marine propulsion market with its newly-bolstered series of Norwegian-developed, gas-fueled Bergen engines. The preparation of the K-G4 type for shipboard use, plus the unveiling of the altogether more potent B35:40V-G design, have been driven by mounting environmental legislation and by national commitments to air pollution reduction attendant to the Kyoto Protocol. While cognizant of the longer-term, international market scope, the business rationale in developing a marine offering of environmentally-friendly reciprocating prime movers…