MAN engines for new generation of US Navy ‘oilers’

The tankers, known colloquially as ‘oilers’, supply fuel to naval ships at sea. Following a design study by the US Defense Department, the FM-MAN 48/60CR engines were chosen on the basis of energy efficiency, reliability and cargo-handling efficiency. Each new tanker will have two engines.
Lex Nijsen, MAN Diesel & Turbo’s head of four-stroke marine, explained that the US Navy’s familiarity with the 48/60 engine was a key factor in Fairbanks Morse winning the contract. “The 48/60CR is the next generation of this proven engine with a further optimised performance featuring improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and increased reliability,” he said.
The oldest ship in the current fleet of 15 oilers will be 35 years old in 2021 and is therefore scheduled for replacement at that time. The existing oilers will be phased out at the rate of one a year and the first of the new tankers will be delivered in 2020.
The latest contract comes just two months after FM-MAN 28/33D STC engines were chosen for the US Coast Guard’s offshore patrol cutter programme and emphasises the importance of US Navy and Government business to the two companies. MAN Diesel & Turbo engines built by Fairbanks Morse, and the FM-MAN L48/60A in particular, have been widely used by the US Navy. Altogether Fairbanks Morse has supplied 72 units.