MAN Package Powering LNG Ferry

The Jinling Shipyard in China has ordered four MAN 51/60DF engines for a RoPax vessels for TT-Line, the German ferry operator.

The vessel will incorporate a complete MAN propulsion package including propellers, a fuel-gas-supply system (FGSS), and HyProp ECO, MAN’s hybrid propulsion system.

The newbuilding is based on TT-Line’s ‘Green Ship’ design, developed in collaboration with Copenhagen-based designer, OSK-Shiptech, and is scheduled for delivery in 2022, whereupon it is expected to enter service within TT-Line’s route network in the Baltic Sea.

Operating on LNG

Operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG), the new vessels will have 50% fewer emissions than TT-Line’s previous generation of vessels, the company said.

“Running on LNG, our propulsion package will enable this vessel to operate on such low emissions that it will become the most environmentally friendly RoPax ferry in the Baltic,” said Lex Nijsen, head of Four-Stroke Marine Sales, MAN Energy Solutions. “Our business, to a great extent, is based on offering systems such as this that help our customers to increase the efficiency of their plants and reduce emissions, while leading the way to a carbon-neutral future.”

MAN Energy Solutions will provide the scope of supply in association with Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA), in which it has a 40% stake. AKA specializes in power supply, energy management and drive systems for marine and industrial applications.

Similarly, MAN Energy Solutions’ fuel-gas specialist – MAN Cryo – will supply the new vessel’s fuel-gas-supply system. MAN Cryo offers systems for the storage, distribution and handling of liquefied gases and was fully integrated into the company in 2015.

“This order is the very first MAN dual-fuel, diesel-mechanical propulsion system for a ferry application, which reflects our strategic direction of developing sustainable technologies and solutions – as shown by the contribution of AKA and MAN Cryo,” Nijsen said. “It also fulfills our desire to increasingly become a supplier of complete solutions.”

Flexible and fast

Upon construction, the newbuilding will have the capacity for 800 passengers and over 200 articulated lorries. While designing the vessel, a particular emphasis was put on flexibility and fast, in-port turnaround-times. TT-Line currently has six ferries operating on various routes in the Baltic Sea.

MAN Energy Solutions’ scope of supply covers:

• two 8L51/60DF and two 6L51/60DF MAN engines offering a total power of 29 400 kW
• MAN Alpha twin-screw CPP propellers
• Two twin-in, single-out gearboxes
• A MAN Cryo FGSS featuring two 500-m² vacuum insulated Type-C tanks
• AKA’s advanced HyProp ECO system
• AKA drives, electric generators and motors for the PTO and bow thrusters.

 About HyProp ECO

HyProp ECO is a system solution that combines a diesel engine with a frequency-converter-driven shaft-alternator/motor and features multiple operational modes. The system combines the advantages of a bi-directional operating frequency converter for the shaft machine with a high-efficiency CP propeller plant. HyProp ECO is also open for shore connection and the integration of energy-storage devices/batteries.

 The maritime energy transition

The new TT-Line order is part of the Maritime Energy Transition, an umbrella term that covers all MAN Energy Solutions activities in regard to supporting a climate-neutral shipping industry.

The term stems from the German expression ‘Energiewende’ and encapsulates MAN Energy Solutions’ call to action to reduce emissions and, among other initiatives, establish natural gases as the fuels of choice in global shipping.

Launched in 2016 after COP 21, the initiative has since found broad support within the shipping industry and politics.

Based in Travemünde, Germany, TT-Line is the market leader in direct transport between Germany, Poland and Sweden, and carries nearly 900 000 passengers, 180 000 cars and more than 400 000 freight units annually. Typically, the company’s ferries transport up to 6500 passengers daily.