Dual-fuel engines to power EPS vessels chartered by Rio Tinto Group
New Times Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., located in Jiangsu Province, China, has ordered 3 × MAN B&W 6G70ME-GI engines in connection with the construction of 3 × 210,000 dwt bulkcarriers for Eastern Pacific (EPS), the Singapore-based shipping company. CSSC-MES Diesel (CMD) will build the engines in China, while Rio Tinto – the metals and mining multinational – will charter the vessels upon their entering service. The contract includes an option for three further vessels.
The new order comes shortly after MAN Energy Solutions received an order for 5 × 6G70ME-GI Mk 10.5 dual-fuel engines in October 2020 in connection with the construction of 5 × 210,000-dwt Newcastlemax bulkcarriers, again for EPS, which will subsequently be chartered to Australian mining giant, BHP, for a period of five years.
Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “The ME-GI engine is now the market standard for large, dual-fuel bulk carriers as the value chain in the segment has further increased its focus on decarbonisation. Here, this mature technology’s negligible methane-slip and the inherent potential of alternative fuels, such as LNG, are significant advantages and demonstrate to the industry that viable options for lowering carbon footprints exist. These vessels will be among the cleanest and most efficient in their segment, as well as being IMO 2030-compliant well in advance of the legislation.”
MAN Energy Solutions states that its low-speed, dual-fuel references now exceed 374 units, with the ME-GI recording over 1.6 million operating hours on LNG alone.