MAN bags dual-fuel engine deal for Seaspan’s boxhips

German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions has won an order for ten ME-GI dual-fuel engines from South Korean ship maker Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI).

The 8G95ME-GI10.5 engines will power ten 15,000 TEU containerships ordered recently by Seaspan Corporation.

The vessels are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2023, and will immediately after begin 12-year charters for ZIM Lines serving the US East Coast trade.

“This is just the latest order the well-proven ME-GI concept has won in recent months. Its service experience, low methane slip, high efficiency, and fuel flexibility – whether running on fuel-oil or LNG – remain unparalleled in a market whose momentum towards a zero-carbon future is growing rapidly,” Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions, said.

The ME-GI engines will come with a newly introduced Pump Vaporizer Unit (PVU), which ensures an optimal integration between the engine and LNG-supply system.

MAN Energy Solutions announced in January 2021 that its low-speed, dual-fuel references in their entirety had exceeded 360 units, with the ME-GI recording over 1.5 million operating hours on LNG alone.

Since then, among other references, 10 × MAN B&W 7G80ME-GI Mk9.5 dual-fuel engines were ordered in early March 2021 for a series of 10 × 300,000-dwt VLCCs, a début for the engine is this particular segment.

Seaspan has been on an ordering spree over the recent period. Earlier this week the company revealed a contract with an unnamed shipyard for the construction of six 15,500 TEU containerships.

As informed, the newbuilds will be scrubber-fitted and will include emissions reduction technologies.

Deliveries are expected to begin in the second half of 2023 and extend through to mid-year 2024.

Since December 2020, and along with the newest six vessels, Seaspan has announced the addition of a total of 580,000 TEU represented by 39 vessels, including 37 newbuild vessels, and the acquisition of two vessels in the secondary markets, increasing total capacity to 1,653,200 TEU.