Technology group Wärtsilä on Tuesday (21 January) said French shipping company CMA CGM is the first to place an order for its engines with a new methane-reducing feature, which will be installed on eight LNG-operated container vessels.
The company introduced its new EnviroPac feature for the Wärtsilä 34DF constant speed engine. The feature is designed to significantly reduce methane emissions while maintaining the engine’s high-power output and compliance with IMO Tier 3 NOx requirements.
The vessels are being built at the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) yard in China. The engine order for the first two vessels was booked by Wärtsilä’s joint venture company, CWEC (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., (‘CWEC’) in Q4 2024.
The eight 9200TEU LNG-powered vessels will each operate with two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF and two 9-cylinder Wärtsilä 34DF EnviroPac engines, as well as the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard commencing in early 2026.
When operating with LNG bunker fuel, the EnviroPac feature cuts methane emissions in half, compared to the standard Wärtsilä 34DF engine.
This is without altering the existing power output of 520 kW per cylinder. In addition to the environmental benefit, the reduction in emissions has an impact on costs when operating in EU waters since it results in lesser penalties under both the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) and FuelEU Maritime (FEUM).
The EnviroPac feature is available for both new and latest versions of existing Wärtsilä 34DF constant speed engines.
“This is a very important development that will have a major beneficial impact on our operations,” said Xavier Leclercq, Vice President, Newbuilding, CMA CGM.
“We are working hard to minimise the environmental footprint throughout our fleet, and this latest technology from Wärtsilä provides strong support to these efforts.”
“We are proud to launch this new EnviroPac feature for our already efficient Wärtsilä 34DF engine. Our long-standing relationship with CMA CGM is once again enhanced with this order, and we complement them on their vision for actively achieving sustainability throughout their fleet,” said Stefan Nysjö, Vice President of Power Supply, Wärtsilä Marine.
Photo credit: Wärtsilä
Published: 22 January, 2025
