MAN Powers World’s First LNG-fueled Bulk Carrier
The world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled bulk carrier, the 50,000 dwt newbuild Ilshin Green Iris, is powered by state-of-the-art technology from MAN Diesel & Turbo.
The groundbreaking vessel, delivered in February 2018 for owner Ilshin Logistics, was constructed by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) as part of a project announced in July 2016 to develop the first in a new generation of environmentally-friendly LNG-fueled bulk carriers.
A single MAN B&W 6G50ME-GI two-stroke engine powers the 191-meter bulk carrier, which has also been verified to be in compliance with the International Gas Fuel (IGF) Code by Lloyds Register and the Korean Register.
The Ilshin Green Iris has been chartered by steelmaker POSCO to transport limestone cargoes in the Korean coastal trade.
The Ilshin Green Iris has a Type ‘C’ LNG fuel tank with a capacity of 500m³ and comprised of a material – high-manganese austenitic steel – newly developed by POSCO that is specially designed for cryogenic LNG and liquefied gas-storage applications.
The ME-GI engine combines the properties of multi-fuel combustion and the reliability of Man Diesel & Turbo’s ME-engine, the manufacturer said. The Diesel principle provides the ME-GI engine with high operational stability and efficiency, including during load changes and fuel change-over, while defining properties such as a stable change-over from fuel to gas with no fuel-penalties are maintained. The negligible methane slip of the ME-GI engine makes it the most environmentally friendly, two-stroke technology available.
MAN Diesel & Turbo said its ME-GI (-Gas Injection) two-stroke propulsion engine has received more than 200 orders for LNG carriers, container vessels and now bulk carriers.
