Wärtsilä to Boost Fuel Efficiency of KOTC Tankers
Technology group Wärtsilä said it has been contracted to upgrade four vessels owned by Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC), by retrofitting the Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost solution to the ships’ main engines. The modification will reduce fuel consumption, and correspondingly lessen the environmental impact by lowering greenhouse gas emission levels.
Wärtsilä said its Fuel Efficiency Boost initiative has attracted considerable interest, and similar orders from other large shipping companies have been placed in recent months, as ship owners seek ways to reduce their fuel consumption and carbon footprint.
The solution is based on two-stroke engine optimization technology for selected Wärtsilä RT-flex and earlier deliveries of X-type two-stroke engines. The four KOTC very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to be retrofitted operate with seven-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex82T two-stroke main engines. The retrofitting of the vessels with the Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost will take place over the coming six months.
“Our smart marine approach is dedicated towards raising efficiencies and improving the environmental sustainability of marine operations. The Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost is completely aligned with this philosophy, while at the same time lowering operating costs,” said Riad Belaid, Area Sales GM, Middle East & Asia, two-stroke & Specialised Services, Wärtsilä Marine Business.
“By modifying the main engines of these carriers, we are assured of operating with the latest technology and having the best operational efficiency. We know and trust Wärtsilä’s high quality products and systems, and we appreciate the excellent support they offer,” said KOTC’s Acting CEO, Ali Shehab.
The Wärtsilä Fuel Efficiency Boost is a combination of an increased compression ratio and modified injector nozzles. Together with optimized engine tuning parameters, it allows fuel savings of up to 4%. The pilot installation showed around 10~12 tons per day lower fuel consumption than a sister vessel operating the same route, and resulted in 1,195 tons of fuel savings over the nine-month pilot period.
In 2019, Wärtsilä installed the company’s Intelligent Combustion Control and Fuel Activated Sacless Technology (FAST) upgrades on these same four vessels.