WÄRTSILÄ LIFTS OUTPUT OF 31 ENGINE

Wärtsilä is increasing the power output from its highly efficient 31 medium-speed engine, the technology company has announced.

Wärtsilä has increased the power output of its highly efficient Wärtsilä 31 diesel engine to deliver increased power density within the same physical footprint. This upgraded engine will increase its power per cylinder to 650 kW, an increase of 6% in power per cylinder.

The Wärtsilä 31 will have the highest power per cylinder of any engine of its bore size. The upgrade will extend the output range of the 31 to a range of 5.2 to 10.4 MW. The increase in power, compared with the current 31-series engines, means the same power demand can be met with fewer cylinders. This will give significantly lower maintenance costs and will offer space advantages where engine room space is at a premium.

The 31 engine is said to have become increasingly popular for installation on a range of vessel types, including among others, cruise ships, ferries, cable layers, ice breakers and fishing vessels.

“With this power upgrade we are delivering significant added value to our customers,” explained Lars Anderson, Director of Product Management at Wärtsilä. “The Wärtsilä 31 is already the best engine in its class, and this development widens its market advantage even further. By extending its performance, we are making a real contribution to

UE licence renewal

greater sustainability and supporting our commitment to a decarbonised future.”

The first deliveries of the upgraded engine are taking place during the first half of 2023.

8 The Wärtsilä 31 engine upgrade will increase its power output.

Already, seven higher power output Wärtsilä 31 engines have been contracted.

Ronald Ervik, Managing Director of Herøyhav, a Norwegian fishing company and one of the first recipients of the upgraded engine said: “For our new vessel we opted for the Wärtsilä 31 engine because it is the most modern and most efficient mediumspeed marine diesel engine on the market. Not only will it give us the power we need and with dimensions that fit our engine room design, but it will also lower fuel consumption.”

On Board Ccs Project Advances

The conceptual design of a carbon capture system onboard an oil tanker has received approval in principle from ABS. The design forms part of a pilot project to demonstrate end-to-end shipboard carbon capture at scale.

The REMARCCABLE project was initiated in 2022. In addition to Deltamarin, the project’s seven-member consortium includes the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) in Singapore, the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), ABS, Stena Bulk, Alfa Laval and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).

The first phase of the project involved conceptual design and a

Second HKC yard

front-end engineering design study of the carbon capture system. Following the approval in principle, the consortium’s members will decide whether to advance the project to the next stage.

The second phase would include engineering, procurement, and construction of a prototype shipboard carbon capture system and onshore commissioning.

Phase three would focus on integrating the carbon capture system with the MR tanker and conducting sea trials. Following a full engineering study, the carbon capture system will be built and tested prior to integration onboard a Stena Bulk medium range (MR) tanker for sea trials.

The global shipping industry is

Fuel cell feeders

looking at a range of solutions, including low-carbon fuels and onboard carbon capture, to help achieve a target to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from a baseline of 2008.

The consortium’s members believe the onboard carbon capture system could help accelerate commercial deployment of shipboard carbon capture technology within the next five years.

The GCMD plans to launch a study on offloading the liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) to resolve potential challenges and inform the third phase of the project.

Briefs

NEOM H2 exports

Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine & Machinery (HHIEMD) marked the renewal of its licensing agreement with Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) to build UE low-speed engines with a ceremony in mid March. The scope of the agreement extends from engine development to design, manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service. HHI-EMD is one of the market leaders in the manufacture of low speed 2-stroke main engines.

Evasion

ClassNK has issued a statement of compliance (SoC) to a second ship recycling facility in Bangladesh, verifying that the facility is in line with the Hong Kong Convention (HKC). Although the convention is yet to be ratified, responsible ship recycling yard operators have begun undertaking voluntary certification so as to ensure rigorous safety standards and support ongoing calls for ESG reporting across maritime.

Samskip has awarded Cochin Shipyard a contract for 2+2 container feeder vessels. The container feeders will be equipped with a dieselelectric propulsion system, but are intended to be primarily powered by H2fuelled fuel cells. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in Q3 2025. The vessels will be equipped with onshore power supply connections. The vessel design was produced by Naval Dynamics AS.

NEOM Green Hydrogen Company has entered into an agreement to develop an export-oriented green ammonia production facility with an annual capacity of 1.2 million tonnes. NEOM aims to start the first green ammonia exports in 2026. Construction of the USD8.5bn export-oriented mega-project is expected to begin after it signed financing agreements with a number of financial institutions on 1 March.