More and more cruise ship owner and operators are opting for LNG-ready engines for their newbuilds. This week Caterpillar have announced that they have received an order for four newbuild cruise ships to be equipped with their MaK 16 M 46 DF dual-fuel engines.
These dual-fuel engines feature a range of technical innovations including fast load response, better fuel consumption and long intervals between overhauls. The engines use the latest generation of the Cat Engine Control Units (ECU), which in conjunction with in-house software, enable customer operation profile-specific optimisation.
Caterpillar is also pioneering new techniques to make gas-only operation more viable, including recent research into liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines at loads of less than 20% for the first time. According to Caterpillar, these developments are specifically suitable for the cruise sector where LNG is more favourable than risking smoke or soot on deck while starting main engines and manoeuvring in port waters.
Zeppelin Power Systems is managing the project, including looking after the supply, commissioning and service.
The ships are currently under construction at Meyer Werft’s shipyards in Papenburg, Germany, and Turku, Finland.
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