In early Autumn 2007 MAN Diesel played host to a group of shipowners from the Netherlands and the “Altes Land” area near Hamburg, Germany, all of whom had one thing in common: an MAN Diesel type 58/64 heavy fuel engine on order from the engine and turbocharger builder’s works in Augsburg, Germany. Attending the event were representatives from shipowners Ehler, Döhle, Rambow, Barthels, Holwerda, Eicke, and Schiffahrtskontor Altes Land (SAL).
The largest engine in the MAN Diesel range of four strokes in terms of cylinder displacement, the type 58/64 produces a maximum output of 1400 kW per cylinder and continues to enjoy great popularity, especially in single engine propulsion plants aboard ships with power requirements between around 8000 and 13000 kW. An inline design offered in 6, 7, 8, and 9 cylinder inline versions, the 58/64 is hence a popular choice for the propulsion of container feeder vessels with capacities from around 1000 to 1700 TEU. For example, from a production total of some 300 engines in the 20 years since its launch, MAN Diesel has sold over 130 type 58/64 diesels for the German designed CV 1100 (1100 TEU) container feeder built by a number of shipyards, especially in China and predominantly sold to German owners, including some of those present at the event.
“This continuing popularity is based on the robust and reliable design of the 58/64,” notes Prof. Dr. Wolfram Lausch, Senior Vice President Medium Speed Marine at MAN Diesel in Augsburg, Germany. “Building on well proven engine architecture and reliability, the 58/64 engine has been continually modernised and uprated so that, even after 20 years, this engine is still absolutely state-of-the-art.”
Recent 58/64 updates have achieved both enhanced operating values and improvements to engine production, maintenance, overhaul and repair. On the performance side, modifications to the cylinder head and the turbocharging system have given reduced fuel consumption, compliance with the IMO Tier 2 emissions legislation and an increase in power output to 1400 kW per cylinder. A major factor in optimizing production and servicing was a reduction in the 58/64’s overall component count leading to easier assembly and dismantling and reduced spare parts inventories.
As demonstrated to the German customers at the 58/64 event, specific measures included: fitting the latest generation of high efficiency TCA 55 or TCA 66 axial turbocharger; a new valve actuation (rocker arm) concept; a new design of cylinder head with improved gas exchange and direct installation of the inlet and exhaust valves; a redesign of the exhaust system to achieve more compact dimensions, improved thermal insulation and better gas admission to improve turbocharger response.
By familiarizing the customers with the technical features of the 58/64 diesel, MAN Diesel also underlined the Augsburg works’ status as a global centre of large engine excellence. MAN Diesel is the only engine manufacturer in its class having the development and production of all the key enabling technologies of modern diesel engine performance in-house – i.e. fuel injection equipment, turbochargers and the electronics that control them. Similarly, with its own foundry and an array of modern computer design tools, MAN Diesel can rapidly execute engine development, further development and application engineering tasks.
For some of the customers present, the engines they have ordered will be their first 58/64 diesels. For the Sietas shipyard and SAL, by contrast, the occasion also involved acceptance testing of nine cylinder 9L 58/60 engines for a Sietas Type 176 heavy lift vessel, due to be completed in early 2008.
This and other heavy lift vessels are major element in the 58/64 engines on order from the visiting owners: SAL has a total of four Sietas Type 176 heavy lift ships and two Type 179 ships on order. Both Types are powered by the 9L 58/64 engine. Sietas notes that the Type 179 is offered with the DP2 dynamic positioning system which allows the vessels to hold station in heavy seas and enables maximum manoeuvrability in offshore duty, e.g. when delivering equipment to oil and gas rigs. Their onboard electrical power is provided by four generator sets powered by 1980 KW rated, nine cylinder MAN Diesel type 9L 21/31 engine and one 1100 kW rated five cylinder type 5L 21/31 diesel.
Otherwise, the engines on order closely reflect both the established success of the MAN Diesel 58/64 engine and the traditional activity of the Altes Land and Netherlands shipping companies, with 16 of the engines destined for container feeders, often linking smaller Baltic and North Sea ports to the larger ports.
Here, a special emphasis is the new 1400 TEU Type 178 container feeder from the Sietas shipyard in Neuenkirchen, Germany, successor to the 868 TEU Type 168. Since the Type 178’s propulsion requirements can be ideally covered by a single eight cylinder 8L 58/64, the MAN Diesel engine has become its propulsion engine of choice.