MAN Marks 100,000 Operating Hours for Two Dual-Fuel Engines

Teekay Gas currently has a total of eight such engines aboard four of its vessels. Image Credit: MAN

MAN Diesel & Turbo SE (MAN) has announced that its low-speed Gas Injection (ME-GI) and Liquid Gas Injection (ME-LGI) dual-fuel engines have registered a total of 100,000 operating hours.

MAN says Teekay Gas currently has a total of eight such engines aboard four of its vessels, which have have operated 80 percent of the time on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"The biggest benefit really is the economics of the vessel; it's got a very low fuel consumption compared to rival propulsion designs and it also meets emissions regulations when we're burning gas as well as fuel oil. With the ME-GI, we also avoid the problem of methane slip, so we are very well placed for any future emission regulations," said Graham Cattley, Technical Manager of Projects at Teekay Gas.

"When the first ship came into service, obviously there were teething issues. There's always a risk involved with new technology but we also knew that MAN Diesel & Turbo was the furthest on with the design and development of these engines so it gave us confidence."

Teekay has noted that ME-GI operates equally well on gas as it does on fuel oil, the company has not encountered any major differences between the fuels when in heavy weather, and has not experienced any issues with different gas qualities, combustion, or knocking.

"It's been a very exciting time with the ME-GI and there's been a lot of knowledge learnt as well. You've got to take a risk to be a leader in the market and we wanted the vessels with the best fuel consumption. We felt the ME-GI was the right choice at the time," said Cattley.