Mitsui to start MAN ammonia engine tests

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (Mitsui E&S) has embarked on tests of the world’s first commercial, two-stroke, dual-fuel ammonia engine. A prototype engine, the MAN B&W 7S60ME-LGIA Mk 10.5, has now begun its first test run at the Japanese company’s Tamano plant.

The 60-bore engine will eventually be installed on a 200,000dwt bulk carrier at Imabari Shipbuilding for a joint venture between K Line, NS United, and Itochu Corp. The installation will also have a MAN Energy & Solution’s High Pressure Catalytic Selective Catalytic Reduction system for IMO Tier III compliance. The test phase will undertake verification of the safety and performance of Mitsui E&S’s ammonia fuel supply system as well as other engine-related features.

MAN Energy Solutions’ head of Two-Stroke Business, Bjarne Foldaker, commented: “The use of ammonia, which can achieve carbon-neutral combustion when bio-fuel oil is used as pilot oil, is a significant milestone on the path towards decarbonisation, especially in the maritime industry where reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a pressing issue.

“We have worked closely with Mitsui E&S on this pioneering project and have noted keen interest in its progress from external parties,” he continued. “To date, MAN Energy Solutions has secured several ammonia engine orders throughout Asia and we are confident that ammonia will comprise one of the three major alternative fuels on the market – alongside methanol and methane.”

The engine firm’s head of Two-Stroke R&D, Ole Pyndt Hansen, said: “Mitsui E&S’s test builds on the results of comprehensive single-cylinder ammonia fuel tests conducted at our Research Centre in Copenhagen … Operational experience at sea will be key to fine-tuning the engine’s performance and reliability … We expect a market introduction of our 50-, 60-, 70- and 80-bore ME-LGIA ammonia engines by the end of 2026, but the exact timing will be subject to the respective shipbuilding schedules.”