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STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, the South Korean shipbuilder, recently delivered the Castillo de Santisteban to Empresa Naviera Elcano, the globally active Spanish shipping group. Five MAN dual-fuel 8L51/60DF engines will power the 300-metre long LNG carrier with each delivering 8,000 kW at 514 rpm.

The newbuilding has been assigned by her charterer, Spanish energy company Repsol - Gas Natural LNG (Stream), to the Peruvian Camisea/Pampa Melchorita gas project, the first natural-gas liquefaction plant in South America. The carrier has a carrying capacity of 173,600 m3 LNG.

Klaus Deleroi, Senior Vice President, MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, said: "When it comes to ship-propulsion technology, the future is gas. Not only for LNG carriers, but also for cargo vessels, ferries and even cruise liners. Knowing this, it is important for MAN Diesel & Turbo to have a strong reference already at sea with our new 51/60 dual-fuel engine, and that is exactly what we have with the Castillo de Santisteban."

The Castillo de Santisteban recently passed extensive gas and sea trials before the hand-over to its owner. Its entry into active service represents a milestone for MAN Diesel & Turbo in that the order for the ship's dual-fuel engines, registered in 2007, was the very first received for this engine type. The engine is especially designed for propulsion systems for LNG carriers and gas-fuelled ships, and is said to focus on the safety requirements stipulated by classification societies for gas operation.

"The LNG Carrier's new propulsion system is designed to give the vessel a higher degree of redundancy in terms of maintenance while sailing, and takes advantage of the 51/60DF engine's multiple fuelling options," MAN Diesel & Turbo said.

The 8L51/60DF engines were built at MAN Diesel & Turbo's own works in Germany. They can run on gaseous (for example, vaporised LNG) or liquid fuels of a wide range of qualities (HFO/MDO/MGO) and have low emission levels.

At 1.5 g/kWh (IMO cycle E2) in gaseous-fuel operating mode, the 51/60DF already complies with future IMO Tier-III limits for NOx by a considerable margin without the need for exhaust-gas treatment or any other countermeasures.

The MAN 51/60DF engine

MAN Diesel & Turbo's 51/60DF dual-fuel engine offers a 1,000 kW/cylinder output at 514 rpm for 60-Hz generator sets in both its gaseous and liquid-fuel operating modes. For marine applications, it is offered in inline versions with 6, 7, 8 and 9 cylinders and V- configuration versions with 12, 14, 16, and 18 cylinders in a power range from 6,000 to 18,000 kW.

MAN's new engine model uses the ‘common-rail' micro-pilot fuel-injection system for liquid fuel that is necessary when running on gas to ignite the air-gas mixture. This system is said to ensure independent control of injection timing, injection pressure and injection volume.

When running on liquid fuel, the 51/60DF works with a conventional fuel-injection system, injecting the fuel oil through a separate main fuel injector in a camshaft-actuated pump-line-nozzle system. The fuel injection control is integrated within the engine's SaCoSone (Safety and Control System).

Image: View of the engine room of the Castillo de Santisteban with its dual-fuel engines