Lienchiang County Government of Taiwan has ordered two 9L32/44CR four-stroke engines to power a Ropax vessel sailing between Keelung and the Matsu islands, an archipelago located close to the Chinese mainland.
The medium-speed engines will form part of a complete propulsion system delivered by MAN Diesel & Turbo that also includes reversible gearboxes, MAN Alpha twin-screw fixed-pitch propellers and a ship alarm system.
The 106-metre ferry will be built by Jade Shipbuilding, Kaohsiung, SW Taiwan and will travel six days a week between Keelung and the Matsu islands. MAN Diesel & Turbo will build the engines at its facility in Augsburg, Germany. Delivery of the propulsion system is scheduled for December 2012 with vessel delivery timed for January 2014.
As customer, Lienchiang County had a number of key requirements for the propulsion system, including:
-two 3,450-mm diameter, 4-blade, fixed-pitch propellers, selected among other reasons due to the positive experience of local operators
-high torque at part-load and fast load response to optimise manoeuvrability
-the lowest possible fuel consumption
-no visible soot emissions while manoeuvring in harbour
-the lowest possible overall emissions.
Ultimately, these requirements favoured the adoption of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Common Rail technology versus that of conventional injection technology. The fixed-pitch propeller transmits a power of 4,635 kW per engine and, as the highest propeller efficiency possible – balanced with low noise and vibration – were key factors, the MAN Alpha fixed-pitch propellers were a natural choice. A water-lubricated stern tube arrangement was also selected to obtain the most environmentally friendly shafting solution.
For safety on board, MAN Diesel & Turbo also employed a ship alarm system that displays messages in traditional Chinese characters.
[mappress] Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo, September 13, 2012