Container ship operators looking for the lowest possible fuel oil consumption at any engine load will be interested to hear word from MAN Diesel & Turbo that the first super-long-stroke large bore two-stroke engine specifically designed for them, the S90ME-C9.2, has just successfully completed trials on Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine & Machinery Division’s  test bed. Marine Diesel Engine MAN S90ME-C9.2: Photo credit Man Diesel & Turbo The new engine, of reduced size for container ship engine rooms (although the largest ever designed by MAN) is based on the VLCC-optimised S90ME-C8 engine, as operators look to reduce operating costs through slow steaming, turbocharger cut out and low-load engine optimisation; all of which are offered by the new engine. Engine Design Concept – MAN S90ME-C9.2 Low-speed two-stroke main engines of MAN’s existing MC type, with a chain driven camshaft, have limited flexibility with regard to fuel injection and exha... [More]

'Emerald', a Midsize concept bulk carrier of 35,000 dwt, designed jointly by Bestway Marine Engineering Design of Shanghai and classification society Lloyds Register, bettered by 18% existing performance of standard bulk carriers as measured by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 'Energy Efficient Design Index' (EEDI) according to the project leaders' announcement on 1, February 2011.It may be helpful to explain briefly 'EEDI', since it provided base measure for the  'Emerald' design team's work, and an associated new regulatory development also seems worth mentioning here.Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI)EEDI relates to efforts by IMO to limit global warming through pollution of the environment by marine engines, allowing a specific figure for an individual ship design to be calculated by means of a fairly complex formula. It is expressed in grams of CO2 per ship's capacity-mile, and a smaller EEDI value indicates a more energy-efficient ship design. The far more co... [More]