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

Shipowner Matson on Friday (13 December) announced that its containership Kaimana Hila is back in service after completing the company’s third LNG conversion. 

A new bow windshield was also added for improved aerodynamics and fuel conservation.

Kaimana Hila is the latest vessel to operate on LNG, joining its sister ships, Daniel K. Inouye and Manukai. 

Manukai underwent a complete repowering, replacing its engine with a dual-fuel engine like those powering Daniel K. Inouye and Kaimana Hila. 

These conversions are part of Matson’s long-term strategy to reduce Scope 1 fleet greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Matson has ordered three new Aloha Class containerships from Philly Shipyard. The first, Makua, is under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2026. 

All three vessels will join the fleet LNG-ready but can operate on conventional fuels as needed. 

Like their sisterships Daniel K. Inouye and Kaimana Hila, each vessel will boast numerous “green ship” technology features, such as a fuel-efficient hull design, environmentally safe double-hull fuel tanks, and freshwater ballast systems.

Photo credit: Matson
Published: 17 December, 2024

An industry coalition SEA-LNG analysis, published on Tuesday (17 December) showed that LNG dual-fuelled vessels provide the lowest compliance cost for meeting EU and IMO decarbonisation regulations.  

Using Z-Joule’s POOL.FM, SEA-LNG has undertaken analysis based on a modelled mid-sized, 14,000 TEU container vessel. This analysis is in the form of both a single vessel and also an eight-vessel fleet operating the Rotterdam – Singapore trade route over the period 2025 to 2040. 

The analysis focuses on the LNG, methanol, and ammonia fuel pathways and compares their compliance costs against the default of using VLSFO (very low sulphur fuel oil). The analysis uses the specifications for main and auxiliary engines published by the main marine engine manufacturers MAN ES, Wärtsilä and WinDG.

The study indicates that LNG, methanol, and ammonia dual-fuel engine technologies can reduce compliance costs compared with VLSFO, with LNG dual-fuel vessels providing a significantly lower cost compliance solution. The basis for this is that the LNG pathway offers immediate greenhouse gas reductions now and in the future compared with the other fuel choices. The use of LNG also dramatically reduces SOx, NOx and Particulate Matter (PM), thereby avoiding the use of relatively expensive MGO (marine gas oil) for ECA (Emission Control Area) compliance.  

In terms of fleet operations, for an eight-vessel fleet with two alternatively fuelled “balancing vessels,” the overall cost of compliance with LNG will be between USD 5 million and USD17 million per annum lower than other alternative fuels such as methanol and ammonia. Further, as FuelEU Maritime is implemented from 2025 onwards, fleet operators using ammonia and methanol dual-fuel vessels are likely to need significant quantities of expensive green fuels in an effort to avoid very high penalty charges.

Steve Esau, Chief Operating Officer at SEA-LNG, said, “It's our mission to provide objective data and analysis to support owners and operators in decision-making at this critical juncture for shipping.”

“As greenhouse gas emissions become subject to increasingly stringent regulation, the industry needs cost-effective solutions to meet its decarbonisation goals. Today, this study clearly illustrates that the LNG pathway is a cost-effective way to meet regulatory compliance targets now and in the future.”  

Fernando Alvarez, Founder of Z-Joule, said: “Z-Joule’s software provides the industry with a robust platform to explore and optimise their decarbonisation journey.”

”POOL.FM is a fuel-agnostic model which utilises an advanced optimisation algorithm to determine the optimal fuel mix, pooling strategy, and target speed for each vessel in a fleet (or vessel pool).”

“The regulations currently modelled include CII, ECAs, EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and Onshore Power Supply (OPS) mandates. Functionality to model possible IMO Market Based Measures (MBM)s is already in place and will be refined as more details about the forthcoming regulations emerge.”

Note: The full white paper is available for download here. 

Photo credit: Venti Views on Unsplash
Published: 18 December, 2024