Rolls-Royce says it is supplying two of its mtu 16V 4000 M55RN gas engines to Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard, for the construction of the first in a series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) hybrid powered tugs.
The first tug will be operated in Singapore by Jurong Marine Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine, with a fleet of 12 tugs planned to replace a fleet of existing diesel-powered ones between now and 2025.
“We are very happy to be part of Sembcorp Marine’s efforts in environmental protection and adopting new green technologies in its operations,” commented Chew Xiang Yu, head of Rolls-Royce power systems’ commercial marine business in Asia. “The mtu marine gas engines are part of Rolls-Royce’s Green and High-Tech program. Without exhaust gas aftertreatment, they emit no sulfur oxides, only very small quantities of nitrogen oxide and particulate mass is below the verification limit.”
Designed by LMG Marin (Norway), part of the Sembcorp Marine group, to deliver a 65-ton BP, the first LNG-hybrid tug is due to be completed in the latter part of 2021. Rolls-Royce says the gas engines are able to deliver performance comparable to a high-speed diesel.
Equipped with multipoint fuel injection, dynamic engine control and enhanced turbocharging, the company says the engines cater for dynamic acceleration capabilities, high power output and reduced emissions, considerably below the current IMO III limits without the need for exhaust aftertreatment. As a result, the LNG-hybrid propulsion system will be able to provide flexibility to cater for various operational modes while being able to switch between low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines and zero-emission battery power.