MAN Energy Solutions has announced that its MAN B&W ME-GA engine – the latest addition to its dual-fuel portfolio – has landed 40 orders since its market unveiling in March 2021. The company attributes the order surge to the market’s demand for the latest generation of Otto-cycle, two-stroke engines and the low levels of methane slip it can unlock.

Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President and Head of Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “We had high expectations for the ME-GA upon its launch as we recognised a strong desire – primarily from the LNG carrier market – for an alternative to our successful ME-GI engine. Judging alone by the fact that ME-GA has won references from all three major shipyards in Korea, these expectations have been met and even exceeded.”

Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “As industry leaders committed to lowering emissions, the ME-GA comes with our high-pressure EGR as standard, a technology we have refined over the past decade. The increased focus on methane-slip reduction – as well as other operational/technical benefits – has established EGR technologies as the new standard for contemporary LNG-carrier design featuring Otto-cycle engines.”

As its pre-mixed combustion results in low NO_x emissions, the ME-GA engine is inherently Tier II and Tier III compliant in gas-operation mode. EGR enables the significant reduction of methane slip, while simultaneously improving fuel efficiency in both gas and fuel-oil operation. Ultimately, EGR actively reduces emissions and improves efficiency in both Tier II and Tier III.

Foldager added: “The ME-GA engine is just MAN Energy Solutions’ latest initiative to decarbonise shipping and further the maritime energy transition to sustainable fuels. Our dual-fuel engines continue to act as standard bearers for environmentally-friendly, reliable propulsion-technology with their seamless switching between fuels. Ultimately, we expect the ME-GA to become standard among LNG carriers.”

MAN Energy Solutions aims to start testing the first, commercial ME-GA design by the end of this year, with the first engine delivery scheduled for early 2022.