MAN to power Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s methanol dual-fuel car carriers

Norwegian shipping and logistic company Wallenius Wilhelmsen has ordered four methanol dual-fuel marine engines from German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions.

The engines are intended for the recently confirmed four 9,300 car equivalent unit (CEU) car carriers that will be built in China at the Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu). The ships are scheduled for delivery from mid-2026. The order contains options for a further eight such vessels.

The methanol dual-fuel MAN B&W 7S60ME-C10.5-LGIM engines are based on the company’s ME-series, with its approximately 8,500 engines in service. When operating on green methanol, the engine offers carbon-neutral propulsion for large merchant-marine vessels, MAN says.

“The shipping industry is showing an increasing interest in decarbonization by operating vessels on green methanol and these engines will provide significant emission reductions,” Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions, said.

“The ME-LGIM concept is proven and still the only such concept that has entered commercial operation. Currently, our total ME-LGIM orders stand at over 150 engines. This includes more than 23 already in operation and that have accumulated more than 500,000 running hours since first entering service in 2016.”

“We are securing our position as our customers’ first choice in shipping and delivering on our strategy to provide a net-zero, emission-free, end-to-end service by 2027. We believe that methanol is the fastest way to net-zero emissions,” Xavier Leroi, EVP & COO Shipping Services, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, said.

The contract is the second newbuilding project within the PCTC segment that features the company’s S60-LGIM engine.

Methanol is gaining momentum within the PCTC segment amid the introduction of new emission regulations.

Namely, Chinese shipping giant China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the construction of up to six dual-fuel methanol-powered pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs).

The ships have been described as the world’s first methanol-fueled PCTCs.