30 April, 2008. MAN Diesel’s Korean licensee, Doosan Engine Co. Ltd., is celebrating a new milestone with its cumulative engine production having reached the 50-million-BHP mark during the middle of this month.

Doosan Engine, then KHIC, produced its first marine engine in 1984, thus reaching the 50-million-BHP milestone in just 24 years, an unprecedented achievement. Of this total, MAN Diesel has accounted for over 30 million BHP. Doosan is just the third engine-builder in the world to reach 50 million BHP, leaping from the 40- to 50-million-BHP mark in a record 18 months.

The new milestone was actually reached with the completion of a 25,300-BHP MAN B&W 6S70ME-C engine on 15 April. The engine, the 1,578th produced in the 24-year run, is destined for a 210,000m3 LNG carrier being built by DSME for Qatargas.

The same day, Doosan Engine President and CEO, Lee Sung-hee, celebrated the achievement in a ceremony at the company’s Changwon complex, attended by representatives of Doosan’s business partners, including MAN Diesel’s Ole Grøne and Klaus Engberg, respectively Senior Vice President of Promotion and Sales, and Senior Vice President for Two-stroke Licensing.

Ole Grøne delivered a speech to the assembled dignitaries where he particularly praised Doosan’s cooperative spirit as well as its dedication to quality.

Boosted by a vibrant, global demand for shipping, Doosan Engine has almost completed a construction program of new assembly shops, including one dedicated to medium-speed engines, which are forecasted to raise annual capacity from 9 to 14 million BHP upon completion.

At the Changwon ceremony, Doosan Engine President Lee stated: “Our efforts to improve technology and quality are relentless.” He added: “In the future, we will continue to invest in R&D so that we can become the world’s largest, marine, engine builder.”