MAN ES’ four-stroke methanol-ready engine gets RINA nod

Classification society RINA has approved an upgraded version of MAN Energy Solutions’ (MAN ES) four-stroke dual-fuel engine that makes it ready for a future conversion to run on methanol.

PHOTO: MAN Energy Solutions' methanol-ready four-stroke engine. MAN Energy Solutions

RINA's approval in principle (AiP) certificate allows for a vessel with the engine installed to use its “outer ship hulls as bunker tanks”, which can maximise its fuel storage capacity, MAN ES says.

“A major advantage of our four-stroke portfolio is its inherent retrofit potential, which enables us to provide shipowners with cost-effective solutions and flexibility regarding future fuels. In this latter respect, there is no doubt but that interest in methanol is growing and that it will have a prominent role to play within shipping,” said Elvis Ettenhofer, head of new marine solutions at MAN ES.

The shipping industry is already showing strong support for methanol's potential as a clean, carbon-neutral fuel, said Patrizio Di Francesco, EMEA special project manager at RINA.

Four-stroke engines are generally used on container ships, ferries and cruise vessels, says MAN ES, which has already developed two-stroke dual-fuel methanol-ready engines for larger vessels.

In the past week, MAN ES won an order to supply nine of its two-stroke methanol engines to container ships on order from the South Korean shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM).

It is also currently developing a two-stroke dual-fuel ammonia marine engine for large container ships and aims to make it available on the market in 1-2 years.

By Konica Bhatt

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