OSG Orders ME-C Engines

Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) has ordered four 216,000 cubic meter LNG carriers at Korean yards Hyundai and Samsung. Each vessel utilises two MAN B&W ME engines for main propulsion. Each yard will deliver two vessels for the Rasgas II project for shipping Qatari gas to the UK. Main propulsion will be two 6S70ME-C engines in each vessel. The engines for the Hyundai vessels will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, and for the Samsung vessels by HSD. The engines will be heavy fuel burning, and the boil off gas will be returned to the tanks via onboard reliquefaction plants. The ME engine is MAN B&W’s latest electronically controlled engine, the most advanced low speed diesel engine available. With this confirmation, the total of ME engines for LNG carriers is 16 units and the ME engine total is above 130 units, with the number rising daily. The interest in using the ME-GI engine as an alternative in LNG carriers is also rising. The ME-GI engine is a gas injection, dual fuel low speed diesel engine, which can burn any ratio of fuel and gas desired, depending on the natural or even forced boil off gas available, the choice of energy source being dictated by the relative pricing and the owner’s preference.