Marine Power News

Vessel owners are making new fuel choices, but increasingly, they have options to help reduce the risk of doing so.The latest engine developments aim to make it easier for owners to avoid the chicken-and-egg fuel price and availability risks of new fuels.As Roger Holm, President of Wärtsilä Marine and Executive Vice President at Wärtsilä Corporation recently pointed out, the challenge is that owners won’t commit to a fuel today that is expensive, only produced in small quantities and may be usurped by another fuel that scales faster and more affordably.

Kohler Energy, a provider of energy solutions, including power generation, energy storage, and renewable energy technologies, has rebranded under its new corporate name Rehlko.Rehlko will continue operating as an independent enterprise. The company became a stand-alone entity in May 2024 when Platinum Equity completed a transaction with Kohler Company to establish then-Kohler Energy as a stand-alone business. Platinum Equity is the majority owner of Rehlko with Kohler Company…

engines, inc., a Jonesboro, Ark. based distributor of diesel engines and generator sets, has hired David Hughes as its new managing director. Hughes is an industry veteran with expertise in marine diesel product management, having most recently served as sales manager for marine products at Scania USA. He has also held leadership positions at distributors such as Superior Diesel and Hamilton Power Solutions."I'm excited for the opportunity to join the team at engines, inc. They've been a successful and well-respected engine distributor and supplier to the marine market since 1979…

Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry in China have ordered four MAN 10L32/44CR main engines in connection with the construction of a quartet of 41,000 dwt oil-and-chemical tankers for Bremen-based German Tanker Shipping (GTS).The construction of the 199-meter Swedish Fartygskonstruktioner AB-designed newbuildings is set to start at Xiamen Shipbuilding with delivery scheduled from mid-2025 onward. The order includes options for an additional two vessels.Each…

As maritime faces transcendent changes in terms of decarbonization and automation, Juha Kytölä, Director of R&D and Engineering, Wärtsilä, discusses how this Finnish maritime technology powerhouse is investing in the technologies and facilities that will drive the maritime industry for the coming generation, including insights on its unique arrangement for a future fuel engine testbed onboard Wasaline’s MS Aurora Botnia.To start off, can you give a scope of the Wärtsilä R&D investment?We invest heavily in research and development, about 4.1% of our annual turnover.

Fuel flexibility may be a key driver for recent developments in gensets, but the perennial goals of lowering CapEx and OpEx remain.Fuel flexibility is one of the pillars of decarbonization that is being embraced by genset OEMs. Fuel efficiency, a second pillar, goes hand in hand with that because new fuels will be more expensive, but these concerns come in addition to the on-going drive to reduce CapEx and OpEx for shipowners.MAN Energy Solutions introduced its auxiliary MAN 35/44DF CD engine in June 2023. It is designed to be future-proof and will be ready for methanol operation by 2026.

Northern Lights Inc. (NLI) announced the launch of several new products hitting the market in 2024, including its new M4105 and M6105 genset series as well as the reintroduction of its Lugger propulsion engines with the L4105 and L6105 series.With kilowatt ratings from 125 to 245 at 60 Hz, the M4105 and M6105 series generator sets are built on Northern Lights’ robust base frame design for a clean, compact package sure to complement any engine room, the manufacturer said. Northern…

Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said on Tuesday it would cut up to 2,500 jobs as its new chief executive seeks to build a more efficient business, the latest boss to attempt to revamp one of Britain's most prestigious engineering companies.Over the last decade, Rolls-Royce, whose engines and systems are used on the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 as well as ships, submarines and in power generation, has been through several restructurings, axing more than 13,000 jobs.Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in January, is the latest CEO to try to tackle the company's inefficiencies.

The quest to build a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), which will serve as training ships for five U.S. maritime academies, has drawn a broad cadre of suppliers. The powerplant was a main focus, helping to evolve the schools from steam power plants to a modern propulsion package.NSMVs being built for the maritime academies is widely lauded as a ‘win’ for U.S. shipbuilding, an example of commercial shipbuilding practices applied to a government shipbuilding project.

The world's largest containership lessor Seaspan Corporation has signed an agreement with MAN Energy Solutions to refit 15 of its vessels with dual-fuel engines capable of running on cleaner burning methanol.Under the conversion commitment agreement, signed by Seaspan in collaboration with liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, MAN’s after-sales division MAN PrimeServ will deliver 15 engine retrofit solutions for conversion of vessels powered by individual MAN B&W S90-type fuel-oil…

There are vessels on order today—including crew transfer vessels (CTV) being built in the U.S. (American Offshore Services at Blount Boats and for WINDEA CTV at St. Johns Ship Building and Gulf Craft, for example)—that are described as “hybrid-ready”. Of course, a vessel is either hybrid or it isn’t. So what does hybrid-ready mean?When asked about the hybrid-ready CTVs that Blount Boats is building, the shipyard’s president Marcia Blount told Marine News that the vessels’ Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system “is readily upgradeable to hybrid at any time in the future.

WinGD and CMB.TECH announced plans to collaborate on a fleet of ammonia fuelled bulk carriers. The pair signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines, aiming to install the ammonia dual-fuel X72DF engine on a series of ten x 210,000 DWT bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.CMB.TECH will support WinGD in establishing its ammonia-fuelled engine concept for a large bore engine. CMB.TECH has significant insight into alternative fuels and builds…

MAN Energy Solutions has announced the launch of its MAN 49/60DF engine type at the SMM trade fair in Hamburg. The latest addition to its four-stroke engine portfolio, the dual-fuel engine is capable of running on LNG, diesel and HFO as well as a number of more sustainable fuels including biofuel blends and synthetic natural gas. MAN Energy Solutions states that it sets a benchmark in terms of fuel efficiency within four-stroke engines – both in gas and diesel modes – and therefore minimises fuel costs.Wayne Jones OBE…

There's an “electrification of the seas” happening for navies around the world.Whether it's to achieve greater military capabilities, operational economics and efficiencies or to be better stewards of the environment.There's a trend moving from direct mechanical drives towards more flexible electrical propulsion systems. Ships can still have the same propellers and engines, but they now have a much more flexible power system architecture that benefits design, operations and sustainment.“With an electric propulsion system, we can connect to the same gas turbine or diesel.

In step with the maritime industry's mandate to decarbonize, Alfa Laval introduces its E-PowerPack. Able to convert waste heat directly into electrical power, the E-PowerPack reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – creating a simple, cost-saving tool for complying with new sustainability requirements.“Alfa Laval is pursuing a wide range of technologies to support decarbonization, both independently and with partners,” said Lars Skytte Jørgensen, Vice President Technology Development, Energy Systems, Alfa Laval Marine Division.

The technology group Wärtsilä has launched a new series of power limitation solutions that enable compliance with the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) regulation.The EEXI regulation comes into effect in 2023 and stipulates the minimum energy efficiency level for existing ships already in service. According to Wärtsilä, its new power limitation systems allow owners to meet this requirement, despite the tight implementation schedule. Wärtsilä’s environmental offering…

A well-built, modern vessel can be expected to outlive her original engines. The challenge for those representing the owners, is to choose new engines that match or exceed the capabilities of the original power. Consideration will be given to replicas of the original engines. However, availability and suitability may limit this.These were some of the considerations confronting the Thai Marine Department when they decided to put their 41.85 by 3.9-meter oil response vessel back into service.

The Shaft Power Limitation (ShaPoLi) system, engineered to help optimize tanker engine output ahead of impending EEXI (Energy Efficiency Existing ship) regulations, has gained approval from classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR).Developed by SELMA in conjunction with Tankers Technical Department of Neda Maritime Agency Co Ltd, the system will be fitted on board the Neda-operated 319,000 dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) Aragona, enabling full use of available engine output…

As shipowners ponder future fuels, MAN Energy Solutions is sailing full speed ahead optimizing dual fuel marine powerplants while preparing to start testing ammonia fueled engines in early 2023. Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President, head of two stroke business at MAN ES hosted Maritime Reporter & Engineering News in Copenhagen for a look behind the scenes at a cornerstone of its mandate to ‘Move big things to Zero.’Just 10 years ago, in December 2012, word came that General Dynamics NASSCO finalized a contract with TOTE…

Wärtsilä announce it has signed a renewal of its Optimized Maintenance Agreement with the Greek shipping company Maran Gas Maritime, part of Angelicoussis Shipping Group (ASGL). The new agreement will run for five additional years, and is designed to ensure operational certainty with controlled and predictable costs for Maran Gas’s fleet of 21 TFDE LNG carrier vessels. The signing took place on May 3, 2022.The Maran Gas vessels are all powered by Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines.

Wärtsilä will supply the main and harbor engines for a series of seven new arctic shuttle tankers being built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in South Korea. The order, which is valued at more than EUR 100 million, was placed with Wärtsilä in December 2021.The 120,000 DWT vessels are Arc 7 classified and have icebreaking capability. The Wärtsilä engines are designed to operate reliably at temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees C. SHI has considerable experience in…

The technology group Wärtsilä on Monday informed of recent orders for engines compliant with China’s stage II, or C2 emissions standard. This legislation entered into force in July 2021 and is applicable to vessels sailing on inland waters, in coastal areas, and in most rivers. It covers domestic bulk carriers, feeder containers, oil tankers, passenger Ro-Ro ferries and government vessels.“Wärtsilä is heavily focused on making the decarbonization of shipping a reality. China’s C2 legislation sets challenging limits on emissions of nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter.

Wärtsilä introduced its new Wärtsilä 25 medium-speed four-stroke engine based on its modular technology platform and designed to accelerate and support the maritime sector’s efforts in achieving decarbonized operations.The engine is already capable of operating on diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), or on either gas or liquid carbon-neutral biofuels, and can easily be upgraded to operate with future carbon-free fuels as they become available. The flexibility of having different valve timing options is a key enabler for future fuels and emissions optimization…