Boskalis has contracted MAN Energy Solutions for three MAN 49/60 engines for its new 31,000-m3 trailing suction hopper dredger to be built by Royal IHC. It is the first marine application of the most powerful MAN medium-speed engine.
Each engine will come accompanied by an exhaust-gas after-treatment system, the MAN Low-Pressure Selective Catalytic Reduction (LP-SCR) system, that ensures IMO Tier III compliance. The newbuilding will be built at Royal IHC‘s Krimpen aan den IJssel yard and is expected to enter service in mid-2026.
Lex Nijsen, vice president of MAN Energy Solutions: ‘This entire project has special requirements in all aspects – it is absolutely a customised solution and a notable feather in our cap to have been selected as propulsion-system supplier for this unique dredger.’
‘This first order by a well-established customer in a demanding application is a significant next step towards becoming a widely applied marine engine,’ adds Marita Krems, senior vice president, head of Four-Stroke Marine & License.
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Diesel-electric and ready for renewable fuels
The trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) will be diesel-electric powered with two Azipods to allow vessel operation even at shallow draught. All major drives (thrusters, dredge pump, etc.) will be electrically driven and controlled by frequency converters, enabling each system to operate at optimal speed and power. The asymmetric load-sharing results in optimal load distribution over the diesel generating sets with low fuel-consumption and high manoeuvrability.
The Bureau Veritas-classed main diesel engines will be capable of running on either conventional fuels – like HFO and/or MDO/MGO – or on sustainable fuels, such as biodiesel (HVO and/or FAME). Furthermore, the “dual-fuel” engines will also be delivered as (green) “methanol-ready”. As such, the MAN 49/60 will always be capable of meeting NOx Tier III emission limits.
MAN Energy Solutions states that the engines maintain their high efficiency at all times and that there is no fuel penalty when operating the SCR system – especially with HFO – in great part due to the lower temperatures that MAN SCR solutions operate at.
In close cooperation with Royal IHC and Boskalis, the engines have been fitted into an engine-room design similar to those used in previous Royal IHC dredger projects.
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MAN 49/60
The MAN 49/60 passed its type approval test in March 2023 and features a high power-per-cylinder of 1300 kW, reducing the number of installed cylinders necessary to meet power demands. While in this particular project six-cylinder engines are applied, the L-type of the engine can accommodate up to ten cylinders, which make it capable of propelling ships typically powered by V-engines. The 49/60 is also available as 12V and 14V engine variants.
A key determinant in the choosing of the 49/60 engine was its ability to fulfil the load-acceptance requirements demanded by the TSHD’s diesel-electric propulsion system in diesel mode. The next-generation MAN common-rail system 2.2, in combination with the two-stage turbocharging system used by the engine, enables it to compromise between load acceptance and efficiency.
Additionally, the next-generation SaCoS 5000 engine-automation system enables the engines to fulfil cyber security requirements and offers enhanced remote-support possibilities.
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