The world's most powerful marine engine

APL orders the most powerful marine engines in shipping history
Eight 115,000 BHP engines ordered from MAN for new giant boxships




APL, the global container-transportation company, has ordered eight MAN B&W 14K98ME-C7 engines, each generating a massive 84,280 kW or 115,000 BHP at 104 rpm, to power eight 10,000 TEU ships from Korean builders. When built, the diesel engines will qualify as the most powerful ever built in shipping history.

In placing this ambitious order, APL aligns itself with other significant container-ship owners such as Hapag Lloyd, NVA, OOCL, NYK and K-Line who have also selected MAN B&W K98ME-C engines with electronic controls. The 14-cylinder engine has been specially developed to meet APL’s demanding operational and environmental requirements.

Commenting on the engines, Goh Teik Poh, APL’s Senior Vice President, Operations & Network, said: “When we made the decision to build a new generation of large container vessels that will combine high-speed performance with the most advanced environmental features, we naturally looked to MAN Diesel. After working with them for many years, we have the utmost confidence in their ability to provide engines of the very highest quality. The 14K98ME-C7 will allow us to fulfil our customers’ needs for speed and reliability as well as paying attention to the quality of life of the global community.”

The advantages of the MAN B&W ME-C range of engines are comprehensive:

– appropriate fuel-injection pressure and rate-shaping at any load
– operating mode easily changed during operation
– a simple mechanical system with well-proven, traditional fuel-injection technology familiar to any crew
– a control system with precise timing that gives good engine balance with equalised thermal-load in and between cylinders
- comprehensive monitoring and engine diagnostics contribute to longer time between overhauls
– lower rpm possible for manoeuvring
– accomplished acceleration, astern and crash-stop performance
– software upgrades available over engine lifetime

Importantly, MAN B&W ME-C engines are also very environmentally friendly. Their advanced, electronic user-interface is intuitive and monitors engine performance, allowing precise adjustment of the economy-vital variables of lubricating oil and fuel. This electronic control of fuel injection and exhaust valves, which is optimal at all steady and transient loads, leads to lower fuel consumption, lower cylinder-oil consumption and improved emission characteristics with smokeless operation at any load, and low NOx and soot values.

The new engine can optionally be changed over to different low-emission modes where its NOx exhaust emission can be reduced below IMO limits if necessary due to local emission regulations. Smoke values for the most recent generation of MAN B&W engines are so low that exhaust plumes are typically invisible. The Alpha Lubricator also comes as standard, ensuring a very low lube-oil consumption that in turn reduces particulate emissions.


14K98ME-C TECHNICAL DATA
No. of cylinders 14
Cylinder bore 98 cm
Output 84,280 kW
Speed 104 r/min
mep 19.2 bar
SFOC 171 g/kWh
Height 14.55 m
Width 4.37 m
Length 29.00 m
Weight 2,219 dry mass tons

The giant order follows on the heels of that for the gigantic MAN Diesel engine that entered service early last year. Rated at over 100,000 bhp, it was the largest engine ever designed by the company at the time. On that occasion, Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea built an MAN B&W 12K98MC engine with 101,640 BHP for one of a series of container ships of over 9,000 TEU capacity.

The new order illustrates how the current demand for container vessels globally has continued into 2007 with the construction of newbuildings remaining at a high level, particularly in Korea. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. (DSME) will both construct four of the new ships, with delivery scheduled for 2011.

With the addition of the eight new engines, MAN Diesel’s 98-bore programme can now claim some impressive figures with a total number of 460 engines built or ordered to date, comprising 28,699 MW. Of this number, MAN Diesel has received orders for an incredible 87 (5,823 MW) just this year to date.