Page 31: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2023)

LPG RETROFITS

BW LPG has demonstrated the value of dual-fuel LPG operations beyond the company’s initial aim of meeting

IMO 2020 Sulphur

Cap regulations.

By Wendy Laursen n October 2020, the LPG carrier BW Gemini became at MAN PrimeServ, said that by leveraging LPG as a marine the ? rst very large gas carrier (VLGC) to have its fuel, vessels bene? t from savings due to lower fuel consumption low-speed main engine converted to an LPG dual- and full dual-fuel ? exibility which guards against sensitivity to fuel engine. The project started several years earlier, post-2020 fuel-price ? uctuations. The ability to use LPG cargo

Isparked by Oslo-listed BW LPG’s preparations for as a supplemental fuel source also reduces time and bunker fees.

the IMO’s 2020 Sulphur Cap regulations. In June 2022, under MAN PrimeServ’s supervision, the con-

Compared to heavy fuel oil, LPG reduces Sox emissions by version of the main engine of the BW Malacca to dual-fuel was approximately 97%, particulate matter by approximately 90%, completed at Yiu Lian Dockyards in Shenzhen, marking the last

CO2 by approximately 15% and NOx by approximately 20%. of a series of 15 such retro? ts for BW LPG. During the vessel’s

The world’s largest owner and operator of VLGCs, BW LPG’s ? ve-year drydocking, the ship’s MAN B&W 6G60ME-C9.2 ? eet has a total carrying capacity of over three million cubic type engine was retro? tted to an MAN B&W 6G60ME-C9.5- meters, and the company recognized the advantages of retro? t- LGIP capable of operating on fuel oil and LPG. ting rather than replacing tonnage. CO2 emissions are around MAN claims its B&W ME-LGIP is the world’s ? rst and 95–97% less for a retro? t than building a new ship, and retro? t- only dual fuel engine with liquid gas injection that allows ting takes two months compared to two years for a newbuilding. switching between conventional HFO, MGO, and LPG fuels without any loss of performance or ef? ciency. The modular

ENGINE TECHNOLOGY design principle of its ME-C engines allows simple conver-

MAN Energy Solutions provided the engine technology, and sions to LGIP, says Rasmussen.

Klaus Dahmcke Rasmussen, Head of Projects and PVU Sales “As an additional feature, the LPG engine has great poten- www.marinelink.com 31

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