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Wärtsilä has today announced that its 50DF marine engine has been "successfully" tested and certified to run on ethane, or liquefied ethylene gas (LEG), fuel.

The Finnish firm said in a statement that the testing programme was carried out in close collaboration with Evergas, a Danish owner and operator of seaborne petrochemical and liquid gas transport vessels.

"We are very pleased that the Wärtsilä engines will be capable of utilising ethane boil-off gas as fuel. It increases our operational efficiency and improves flexibility in the bunkering of fuels. All in all it results in a significant reduction in operating costs, while also providing a minimal environmental footprint. It also enables us to offer our customers increased flexibility, which has a monetary value to them," remarked Steffen Jacobsen, CEO of Evergas.

Wärtsilä explained: "The capability to efficiently burn ethane boil-off gas as engine fuel significantly reduces the need of gas re-liquefaction during the voyage. This means that less power is needed for the cargo handling, thus providing a more efficient and environmentally sound overall system.

"This technological breakthrough enables Wärtsilä's customers to meet the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Tier III regulations without need of secondary emissions cleaning while using either LNG or LEG as fuel. The engines have the capability to seamlessly switch between Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), Ethane (LEG), Liquid Fuel Oil (LFO) or Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) without the need for any modifications to hardware and with uninterrupted operation, thereby setting a new standard in fuel flexibility."

Lars Anderson, Vice President, Engine Sales, Wärtsilä Ship Power, remarked: "This is yet another significant breakthrough for Wärtsilä's multi-fuel technology. The option to utilise ethane gas as a marine fuel further extends the fuel flexibility of our DF engine portfolio. It also provides yet another option to achieve compliance with the IMO's stringent Tier III legislation."