Feature 3 | MEDIUM-SPEED ENGINES


HHI-EMD plans to unveil a family of


dual-fuel engines over the next few years, including a 260mm-bore type, the H26DF, to be followed by a smaller design, the 210mm-bore H21DF.


Permanent evolution Complacency as regards market position is anathema to the leading brands, as is demonstrated in a current project where MAN Diesel & Turbo has optimised machinery in accordance with the specific requirements of a returning customer. While the listed maximum continuous


rating of the medium-speed L27/38GO type in nine-cylinder, propulsion engine configuration is 3150kW, each of the four such units to be fitted in Swire Pacific Offshore’s powerful new generation of anchor-handlers has had its output raised to 3285kW. Granting these vessel types a total installation power of 13,140kW apiece, the plant will confer the requisite flexibility for handling all full-load curves, meeting the energy requirements for any assignment, increasing maximum vessel speed to 16.7knots, and ensuring a high bollard pull of 220tonnes. The power concentration reflects the tractive force demands inherent to the task of towing and anchoring drilling rigs and platforms, and operating in the severe weather conditions


experienced in the North Sea and in higher latitudes such as the Barents Sea. The delivery of the 16 engines to


the four vessels to be constructed in Singapore will increase the population of 9L27/38GO engines in Swire’s offshore service vessel fleet to 52. Te longstanding links between the ship owner and the engine manufacturer are underscored by Swire Pacific Offshore’s training centre in Loyang, Singapore, where crews receive dedicated machinery training on a MAN simulator. For each of the new ships, MAN is delivering an integrated package, comprising not only the four prime movers, but also the two reduction gears and clutches, and two nozzled, controllable pitch propellers.


Ventures into China Despite China’s huge domestic waterborne transport sector there is a high degree of conservatism within the country’s river and harbour vessel sectors as regards machinery choice. However, demand for more advanced engines is expected to be spurred by the Chinese government’s anticipated mandatory emissions controls, which will affect domestic waterborne traffic. In the meantime,


foreign engine


makers and designers have increased their involvement in China through new


joint ventures encompassing four-stroke, medium-speed engines. This puts the Chinese shipbuilding and marine engineering industries on a stronger footing,


in technological, qualitative


and production capacity terms, to meet the requirements of the international market, with its ever-more challenging efficiency and environmental performance expectations. It also serves to expand the industrial infrastructure in readiness for growth in the domestic market. Wärtsilä’s forging of a corporate alliance


with Jiangsu CuiXing Marine Offshore Engineering, to manufacture 260mm- and 320mm-bore medium-speed marine engines in China, has been followed by an agreement between Caterpillar and Anqing CSSC Diesel Engine Co to create a joint undertaking to produce MaK-brand engines. The latter has added significance for


the fact that it is Caterpillar’s only joint venture worldwide in the field of medium- speed engines, all MaK production having hitherto been concentrated at the German factories in Kiel and Rostock, while the Cat C280 series is built in the USA. Located in Anqing, Anhui, the new entity is expected to start operations in mid-2012, producing the two smallest designs in the MaK family, the 200mm-bore M20 and 250mm-bore M25 types, for China and the Asia Pacific region.


Bukser og Berging has chosen gas-fuelled medium-speed engines to power its latest escort tug newbuilds.


36


Ship & Boat International March/April 2012


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