ME-GI engines to power Seaspan’s LNG container ships

German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions (ES) has secured a contract with Chinese shipbuilder Yangzijiang Shipbuilding to provide ten ME-GI engines for 7,000 TEU container ships.

The Chinese shipyard placed an order for ten MAN B&W 7G80ME-C10.5-GI engines for the construction of ten liquified natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel vessels for the container ship owner Seaspan Corporation.

As informed, the contract includes an option for five additional vessels. Engine delivery for the ships, which are already chartered on long-term contracts, is expected from October 2023 to 2024.

Once completed, the new ships will become the largest ME-GI-powered container vessels built by a Chinese shipyard.

“Our ME-GI engine continues to enjoy success within new vessel segments, including non-LNG-bearing carrier applications, primarily due to the ever-increasing focus on methane-slip reduction and fuel efficiency. This latest mark of the engine comes with a gas-optimised tuning that significantly improves fuel efficiency when operating on gas, while simultaneously maintaining an industry-leading, low methane slip of just 0.20-0.28 g/kWh over its entire load range”, said Thomas S. Hansen, head of Promotion and Customer Support at MAN ES.

So far, the company reports multiple orders from Chinese shipyards for ME-GI engines for a broad variety of projects including pure car-truck carriers (PCTCs), bulk carriers, and oil tankers.

ME-GI engines are said to introduce a new industrial standard for two-stroke propulsion engines aboard container vessels, bulk carriers, tankers, LNG carriers, car carriers, and others.

“The diesel principle not only provides the ME-GI engine with high operational stability and efficiency but also ensures 100% reliable operation during load changes on gas with just normal additions of pilot-oil amounts”, MAN ES explains.

“Furthermore, the ME-GI operational principles features a seamless changeover between gas operation and diesel operation. The ME-GI engine is the most environmentally friendly, technology available within the two-stroke engine segment”.