Two LPG carrier vessels operated by Tianjin Southwest Maritime have been scheduled for retrofits by the COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry shipyard in Guangdong, China, with dual-fuel engines from MAN Energy Solutions.
The MAN B&W 6G60ME-C engines fitted to the Gas Libra and Gas Scorpio vessels will be retrofitted to dual-fuel MAN B&W 6G60ME-LGIP units capable of running on LPG. The vessels are scheduled to enter drydock in January 2024. MAN PrimeServ (the aftersales division of MAN Energy Solutions) will carry out the work with CSSC Marine Service (CMS), the aftersales subsidiary of CSSC Marine Power Group, like it has done previously with two other Tianjin Southwest Maritime vessels.
“It’s crucial to nurture partnerships to successfully pull off dual-fuel retrofit projects and we are very happy to collaborate with CMS on these – now – four vessel retrofits,” said Per Rud, senior vice president, MAN PrimeServ. “Significantly, this will be our first time working with a licensee’s own aftersales division; the aftersales market should know that MAN PrimeServ is open to working with partners in order to support shipowners globally. Our negotiations with CMS have concluded to our mutual satisfaction and will strengthen our partnership.”
“Switching to low-carbon fuel is the most effective way to decarbonize the existing maritime fleet,” said Klaus Rasmussen, head of projects and PVU sales, MAN PrimeServ. “In this respect, dual-fuel retrofits are an excellent device for shipowners to maintain their assets’ value moving forward. Additionally, for Very Large Gas Carriers, their ability to operate off their own cargo makes for a very positive business case.
“Before the original signing of this contract, Tianjin Southwest had already ordered six vessels powered by ME-LGIP main engines and LPG is quickly becoming the de facto standard in this segment. Currently, we estimate that there are over 150 VLGCs with single-fuel engine technology that could benefit from conversion to LPG-running.”
